Reducing the Risk of Infection Transmission on Inpatient Paper-Based Resources from a Multimedia Education Center

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BACKGROUND Gaining access to educational resources supports knowledge development for all individuals across the continuum of care. A dedicated multimedia education center (MEC) serves inpatients, outpatients, and the surrounding community at an acute inpatient rehabilitation facility by lending paper-based resources such as books. Resultantly, inpatients and their caregivers can take the paper-based resources back to inpatient rooms for review. Leadership from the MEC sought guidance from the infection prevention team on best practices for lending paper-based resources to all inpatients as the resources could serve as potential sources for infection transmission when handled by inpatients on isolation precautions or when handled by the caregivers of such patients. METHODS The infection prevention team and medical librarian conducted a literature search to determine the risk of organism transmission on paper and the feasibility of lending paper-based resources to inpatients on isolation precautions. The medical librarian also consulted several health science libraries for comparison and guidance of library circulation policies with patients. RESULTS It was determined all inpatients and their caregivers could continue to bring paper-based resources back to inpatient rooms. Additional interventions to reduce infection transmission risk included education of the MEC's staff on low level disinfection, the creation of a bookmark with infection prevention messaging, the application of polyester film covers to hardcover books, and the application of polypropylene covers to softcover books. The MEC also provided plastic carriers, which displayed messaging promoting hand hygiene, for each paper-based resource to serve as a barrier in areas of potential surface contact contamination. CONCLUSIONS This collaboration between the infection prevention team and the MEC's team supports the continued lending of paper-based resources to all inpatients and their caregivers within the facility. Being able to continue to lend books improves patient satisfaction with a normalcy that reinforces condition information, health literacy, and holistic well-being. Gaining access to educational resources supports knowledge development for all individuals across the continuum of care. A dedicated multimedia education center (MEC) serves inpatients, outpatients, and the surrounding community at an acute inpatient rehabilitation facility by lending paper-based resources such as books. Resultantly, inpatients and their caregivers can take the paper-based resources back to inpatient rooms for review. Leadership from the MEC sought guidance from the infection prevention team on best practices for lending paper-based resources to all inpatients as the resources could serve as potential sources for infection transmission when handled by inpatients on isolation precautions or when handled by the caregivers of such patients. The infection prevention team and medical librarian conducted a literature search to determine the risk of organism transmission on paper and the feasibility of lending paper-based resources to inpatients on isolation precautions. The medical librarian also consulted several health science libraries for comparison and guidance of library circulation policies with patients. It was determined all inpatients and their caregivers could continue to bring paper-based resources back to inpatient rooms. Additional interventions to reduce infection transmission risk included education of the MEC's staff on low level disinfection, the creation of a bookmark with infection prevention messaging, the application of polyester film covers to hardcover books, and the application of polypropylene covers to softcover books. The MEC also provided plastic carriers, which displayed messaging promoting hand hygiene, for each paper-based resource to serve as a barrier in areas of potential surface contact contamination. This collaboration between the infection prevention team and the MEC's team supports the continued lending of paper-based resources to all inpatients and their caregivers within the facility. Being able to continue to lend books improves patient satisfaction with a normalcy that reinforces condition information, health literacy, and holistic well-being.