HAI Infection Prevention Education

IPs play an essential role in facility infection prevention policy development, surveillance, and risk assessment. IPs also serve as a resource to other staff and programs within their facilities. The resources on this page are intended to connect health care facility infection preventionists (IP) with education materials to support their role in preventing, detecting, and responding to healthcare-associated infections (HAI).

 Webinars

HAI Education Series

The HAI Education Series provides educational presentations on topics including infection prevention, HAIs, antibiotic stewardship, disease surveillance, and outbreak response for health care staff in all setting types, local and Tribal health departments, and other health care partners. Each session features a new, timely topic presented by the Department of Health Services (DHS) program staff, HAI infection preventionists, partner organizations, or other external subject matter experts.

The HAI Education Series is a monthly webinar series, typically held the fourth Thursday of each month. Register for the HAI Education Series.

IP Lunch and Learn

The IP Lunch and Learn is a webinar series that gives IPs from all health care settings the opportunity to come together to discuss introductory infection prevention and control (IPC) topics, as well as share information, network, and ask questions. Each session focuses on a different basic IPC topic area and includes a brief overview with resources and time for attendees to ask questions and share tips and tricks. IPs newer to their role will especially benefit from the information shared.

The IP Lunch and Learn is typically held the second Tuesday of each month. Register for the IP lunch and learn series.

Multidrug-resistant organisms office hours

MDRO office hours are a new opportunity for health care and public health partners to connect, ask questions, and learn about MDROs and related topics. MDRO office hours occur the second Wednesday of each month via Zoom. Register for the MDRO office hours series.

 Tools and templates

• Annual Infection Prevention and Control Risk Assessment Template (Excel): Use this template when conducting annual infection prevention risk assessment and goal setting for your facility. The tool should be modified as needed to fit your facility's specific needs.
• Hand Hygiene Observations, F-02475 (PDF): Use or modify this template audit form to record hand hygiene observations.
• Hand Hygiene and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Observations, F-02726 (PDF): Use or modify this template audit form to record hand hygiene and PPE observations.
• Health Care Facility Transfer Form (PDF): This template form can be used when transferring patients or residents to an admitting health care facility to communicate communicable disease status.
• Infection Surveillance Log for Long-Term Care Facilities (Excel): This tool is intended to help long-term care facility infection preventionists establish infection surveillance logs for the facility.
• Non-Critical Items Cleaning and Disinfection Product List, F-02705 (PDF): Complete and share this product list with staff to help clarify which products should be used to clean and disinfect non-critical items.
• Situational Risk Assessment Tool (Excel): Use this risk assessment template to assess new or current situations, problems, processes, or practices within your facility.

 Fact sheets and guides

• Disinfectant Considerations for Multidrug-Resistant Organisms, P-03400 (PDF): This resource offers considerations for infection preventionists to use as they assess what disinfectants are effective against a specific organism.
• Guidelines for Prevention and Control of Multidrug-Resistant Organisms: These guides provide recommendations for the preventing and controlling targeted MDROs in:
  • Various health care settings, P-42523 (PDF)
  • Nursing homes, P-03250 (PDF)
  • Assisted living facilities
• Infection Prevention Facilitated Discussion Guides, P-03583: These discussion guides can be used to help provide education on various infection prevention topics.
• Infection Prevention Starter Kit: The starter kit provides IPs with background information, resources, and examples for some of their many infection prevention-related responsibilities. The kit dives into topic areas selected by experienced IPs across the continuum of care including:
  • Getting started as an IP
  • Infection prevention programs
  • Environmental infection control
  • Cleaning, disinfection, and sterilization
  • Laboratory and surveillance
  • Outbreak management
• MDRO Fact Sheet for Health Care Personnel, P-03172
• MDRO Fact Sheet for Housekeeping Staff, P-03147
• MDRO Fact Sheet for Residents and Families, P-03149 (Available in English, Spanish and Hmong)
• MDRO Colonization Screening Fact Sheet for Health Care Personnel, P-03171 (Available in English and Spanish)
• MDRO Screening Fact Sheet for Residents and Families, P-03110 (Available in English and Spanish)
• MDRO fact sheets for specific organisms are also available, including:
  • C. auris, P-03232 (PDF)
  • CRAB, P-03232B (PDF)
  • CRE, P-03232A (PDF)
  • CRPA, P-03232C (PDF)
• Transmission-Based Precautions Reference Guide, P-03366 (PDF): This reference guide may be used for common diseases to prevent transmission of infectious agents in health care settings

 HAI Happenings newsletter

HAI Happenings newsletter: This newsletter highlights new and noteworthy topics for all things related to HAI, shares helpful guidance and resources, and includes updates on Wisconsin HAI Prevention Program activities.

• 2025 newsletters: 2025 quarter one
• 2024 newsletters: 2024 quarter one, 2024 quarter two, 2024 quarter three, 2024 quarter four
• 2023 newsletters: 2023 quarter one, 2023 quarter two, 2023 quarter three, 2023 quarter four

Sign up to receive the HAI Happenings newsletter and additional communications from the HAI Prevention Program.

 Project Firstline resources

The Wisconsin HAI Prevention Program has partnered with the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) to roll-out a infection control basics training program aimed at frontline health care workers across health care settings. The content is designed so that frontline health care worker can understand and confidently apply infection control principles and protocols necessary to protect themselves, their facility, their families, and their community from infectious diseases. Visit CDC's Project Firstline webpage for more infection control content.

External resources

• Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) website
• CDC HAI website
• Oregon Safety Commission: infection prevention education videos
• The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) website
  • SHEA Strategies to prevent healthcare-associated infections through hand hygiene: 2022 update
• Wisconsin Long-Term Care Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) Toolkit
• Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene (WSLH): Workplace COVID-19 consulting
  • WSLH: Respiratory protection program requirements for COVID-19

Request an infection prevention and control training or educational on-site visit from one of our infection preventionists

The Wisconsin HAI Prevention Program has experienced infection preventionists working in all regions of the state. If you or your facility has specific infection prevention and control questions or training needs, contact us!

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