TITLE: NOTIFICATION OF PARAMEDIC AND AMBULANCE PERSONNEL OF EXPOSURE TO COMMUNICABLE DISEASE

POLICY STATEMENT:

The hospital shall notify pre-hospital care providers as required by Illinois Sate Statutes, or where possible, medical follow-up may be necessary if it is determined a patient transported by paramedics or ambulance personnel has a dangerous communicable or infectious disease.

GOAL/PURPOSE:

To identify and notify those paramedics and ambulance personnel who transport a patient with a dangerous communicable or infectious disease, so that those personnel may take necessary precautions prior to or seek recommended treatment following patient contact.

POLICY/PROCEDURE:

A. Ambulance and/or paramedics shall complete a "run sheet" on each patient transported to the hospital and submit to the receiving hospital service.

B. Ambulance "run sheets" shall contain the following information:

1. Patient's name
2. Name of ambulance service
3. Nature of call
4. Name and number of crew members transporting the patient
5. Date and time of transport
6. Significant exposure to patient body substances

C. A copy of the "run sheet" will be forwarded to Infection Control as soon as possible by the receiving department secretary in the emergency department.

D. The Infection Control department shall maintain a log and file. If patients transported by ambulance services are diagnosed as having one of the specified diseases, the designated ambulance service personnel shall be notified by Infection Control within seventy-two (72) hours after the confirmed diagnosis. The designated employer or person in charge of the ambulance service has the responsibility of notification of the involved employees.

E. The specified diseases requiring notification of ambulance personnel by Infection Control are:

1. AIDS
2. Hepatitis
3. Pulmonary TB
4. Meningococcal Meningitis
5. Chicken Pox

For confirmed diagnosis of AIDS, the letter of notification will not be sent unless emergency personnel indicated, they may have had blood or body substance exposure.

F. If a paramedic or ambulance service personnel transporting a patient is directly exposed to a patient's body substances, the ambulance personnel should indicate "Significant Exposure" on the run sheet.

All pre-hospital care providers, including those from outlying areas, shall be provided with an incident form with an explanation of "Significant Exposure" to be completed by personnel when necessary.

1. Types of Exposure

a. Parenteral (i.e., needlestick)
b. Mucous membrane (eyes, mouth, genital)
c. Significant skin exposure (i.e., open sores, cuts, cracks in skin) to blood, urine, saliva, bile, semen

G. The Infection Control department shall send a notification letter when necessary to the appropriate pre-hospital care providers. If the personnel marked "Significant Exposure" on the run sheet or on the provided incident report form, a response shall also be sent to the pre-hospital care provider stating the patient DID NOT have any of the listed diseases.

H. When a hospital patient with a listed communicable disease is to be transported by paramedics or ambulance personnel, the hospital staff sending the patient shall inform the paramedics and ambulance personnel of any precautions to be taken to protect against exposure to disease. If the paramedics or ambulance personnel fail to take precautions and a significant exposure occurs, the paramedics or ambulance personnel shall complete an incident report form and send it to Infection Control.

I. The EMS Systems shall stress this procedure during training sessions with ambulance personnel. It shall be emphasized the Illinois Hospital Licensing Act requires ambulance personnel to maintain all information received as confidential medical records.

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