PALTMed is pleased to announce the launch of a free e-learning module for medical directors and leaders of nursing homes covering the clinical trial evidence and protocols for adopting universal decolonization as a Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement (QAPI) program.

The “Decolonization as an Effective Strategy in Nursing Homes” module highlights an effective strategy that has been proven to:

• Reduce infections and antibiotic use

• Reduce hospitalizations

• Reduce antibiotic-resistant pathogens

The module covers the following:

• Large-scale clinical trial evidence showing that universal use of chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG) antiseptic soap for routine bathing and nasal ointment reduces the key outcomes above

• Business case for implementation and the importance of a training campaign

• Free online materials for implementation, including QAPI plan

• Expected timeline for improvement

This module is timely for providing a broad-based infection prevention solution. Given the newly-announced CMS risk-adjusted Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs) Requiring Hospitalizations measure to track infections acquired during nursing home stays. Notably, decolonization has been shown to reduce

• Bloodstream infections

• Skin and soft tissue infection

• Surgical site infections

• Bacteria and candida in the urine

• Infections due to multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs)

An hour of Certified Medical Director (CMD) credits is provided for this module

The module is now live on PALTmed’s LMS, PALTlearn. To enroll, you can simply create a PALTlearn account and register for the course.

You can access the module here: https://learn.paltmed.org/products/decolonization-as-an-effective-strategy#tab-product_tab_overview