Department of Clinical Epidemiology
Improving patient outcomes
The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center’s Department of Clinical Epidemiology oversees the Infection Prevention program at all Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center’s inpatient and outpatient facilities including over 1,300 inpatient beds, >61,000 patient admissions per year and 1.76 million annual outpatient visits.
The purpose of the Infection Prevention program is to provide a microbiologically safe environment to protect Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center patients, healthcare workers and visitors from healthcare associated infections. The activities are primarily directed at:
- Education
- Surveillance
- Clinical research for prevention of all healthcare associated infections such as device related infections, surgical site infections and central line infections, Clostridium difficile and MDROs
- Medical Directors
- Health System Clinical Epidemiology Director
- Infection Prevention Practitioners (IPs)
- Hand Hygiene Program Coordinator
- Resource Planning Analyst
- High Level Disinfection and Sterilization Analysts
Our mission
The mission of the Department of Clinical Epidemiology is to prevent healthcare- associated infections by implementing evidence-based practices, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, driving continuous improvement and ensuring compliance with regulatory and accreditation standards to protect the safety of patients, staff and visitors.
Our vision
The vision of the Department of Clinical Epidemiology is to be a nationally recognized leader in infection prevention, fostering a culture of safety and excellence where preventable infections are eliminated, patient outcomes are optimized, and infection prevention is embedded in every aspect of care delivery.
Clinical pharmacist infectious disease specialists and pharmacy residents interact regularly with consult services and the Department of Clinical Epidemiology.
A Master degree program at The Ohio State University College of Public Health is open to fellows who want formal training in epidemiology and biostatistics.
- Infection Control Committee
- Patient Safety and Quality
- Environmental (to monitor, intervene to reduce risks within and around the facilities)
- Department specific quality committees (cardiothoracic, orthopedics, neurosurgery)
- Leadership Council, where presentations on recent initiatives are shared
The Department of Clinical Epidemiology is also represented on the Product Evaluation Committee to assist in choosing optimal cost-effective items, for example:
- Safety-phlebotomy devices
- Central venous catheter kit components, etc.
- To protect patients, visitors and staff from acquiring healthcare associated infections
- Consultation on exposures to communicable diseases, BBFE
- Isolation practices and appropriate personal protective equipment
- Potential outbreak investigations
- Appropriate personal protective equipment
- Provides education and guidance for staff on proper adherence to infection prevention policies
The IPs and medical director provide orientation for all new employees on a bi-weekly basis and additional informal educational forums for current initiatives. They have established a Link Nurse Program with representatives from most patient care units, after a 16-hour training program and monthly topical meetings. The medical director provides orientation to all new house staff and new attendings each month, and first and third year medical students annually.
Member National Health Safety Network
- High-morbidity selected surgical procedures
- Newer surgical procedures to assess unanticipated risks
- Catheter related blood stream infections in the intensive care units
- Ventilator associated pneumonias
- Catheter associated urinary tract infections
Surveillance findings are incorporated into the development of performance improvement programs to improve patient outcomes.
We have a close working relationship with the Ohio Department of Health, where laboratory specimens can be studied by pulse-field gel electrophoresis, if necessary.
We work with the Department of Pharmacy to encourage appropriate antibiotic choices for selected clinical diagnoses and to decrease the risk of developing C. difficile.