#14 Patricia Stone on being an infection prevention and control pioneer (United States)

On the episode is Patricia Stone. Patricia is a professor ​​of Health Policy at the Columbia University School of Nursing. She directs the School of Nursing’s Center for Health Policy and the Center for Improving Palliative Care for Vulnerable Adults with Multiple Chronic Conditions. 

For the past two decades, the majority of her research has focused on the prevention of infections in vulnerable adults across healthcare settings. She is also the Chief Editor of the American Journal of Infection Control. 

Patricia stone on the most important learning from the pandemic.

I think the pandemic just shone a light on how important infection prevention and control are. It is not just hospitals and nursing homes. It is everybody’s problem.

Patricia stone on how to gain and retain nursing staff going forward.

Culture, money makes a difference, and we all work for money, but the organizational culture is the most important thing. People go into healthcare for a reason, and that reason is often to provide good care, and if they see improvement areas, they should have a culture where it is okay to bring it up and come with suggestions. 

Patricia stone on how to improve hygiene in you’re organization

It takes a village. You can’t do it by yourself. People like to be taught by peers, so you might need to find a nurse to help you talk with nurses, for example.