Infection Preventionists and EMS Personnel: Nurturing a Relationship

Emergency medical services (EMS) personnel are often unclear about the role of infection preventionists (IPs) in pre-hospital transport and EMS. Yet, EMS personnel face challenges of undisclosed or unknown possible infectious bodily fluids as well as other dangers, and the EMS and IP partnership can benefit all parties, including the patients being transferred. Communication, like for all partnerships, is key to a successful collaboration.To discuss this relationship, recently at the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) 2022 Annual Conference, held June 13-15, 2022, in Indianapolis, Indiana, Infection Control Today® (ICT®) spoke with Jill Holdsworth, MS, CIC, FAPIC, CRCST, NREMT; manager, infection prevention, Emory University Hospital Midtown in Peachtree Corners, Georgia; and Alexander Isakov, MD, MPH, FACEP, FAEMS, professor of Emergency Medicine; director, Section of Prehospital and Disaster Medicine; Department of Emergency Medicine; Emory University School of Medicine, in Atlanta, Georgia.