Reporting Possible Exposure of Emergency Response Personnel

Introduction

Date of Last Review 9/5/08
SME: Infection Control Manager

This topic provides information about reporting the possible exposure of emergency personnel. Examples of emergency response personnel are:

Police

Fire department

Ambulance

Current listings

The Infection Control Practitioner or Nurse maintains the following current listings:

Diseases designated as reportable by the Texas Department of Health

Conditions defined as constituting a possible exposure to the reportable diseases

Notification

UTHCPC notifies the local health authority of:

A positive test result for any reportable disease

Exposure of emergency personnel if:

The emergency personnel transported, or had other contact, with the patient tested

The hospital has medical reason to believe that the patient had the reportable disease upon admission Result: UTHCPC reports the case by phone within 24-hours.

The emergency personnel is exposed to the reportable disease during the course of duty as documented in reports maintained at UTHCPC and defined by the Board of Health

Exposure report

This table describes the process for reporting possible exposure of emergency personnel:

Stage	Description
1	The Infection Control Practitioner or Nurse notifies the local health authority of the possible exposure.
2	The local health authority notifies the director of the department employing the effected emergency personnel.
3	The emergency personnel completes the Report of Possible Exposure of Transporter form.
4	The Infection Control Practitioner or Nurse files a copy of the form in the Infection Control files.
5	This table describes what happens next: WHEN the disease is reportable by... THEN... Phone The process continues with Stage 6. Mail The process continues with Stage 7.
6	The Infection Control Practitioner calls the appropriate health authority and provides the following information: Name of exposed emergency personnel Home and work telephone numbers of exposed emergency personnel Name, address, and telephone number of the exposed emergency personnel's agency and director Date of transport Disease exposed to Type of exposure
7	The Infection Control Practitioner or Nurse tears off the bottom part of the form and sends it to the appropriate health authority.

Related standards

The Joint Commission : Surveillance, Prevention, and Control of Infection

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