Infection Control for Direct Care Workers is an interactive class that provides a comprehensive overview including types of germs and common sources of infection. It describes the chain of infection and how each link plays a part in causing or stopping an infection. Best practices are included for infection control. Standard and Universal Precautions are defined. This class includes direct care workers demonstrating the proper use of PPE in a community setting. Infection control strategies and real-life challenges are also included.

This course is unique because it addresses infection control practices outside of a hospital or institutional setting. It provides practical information that will increase knowledge and skills for proper use of PPE.

1. Understanding Infection Transmission and Control: This course defines what is meant by “infection control” and provides an overview of types of infections, how they are spread, who is at risk, and why infection control precautions are so important in all settings.
2. Understanding the Chain of Infection and Prevention: In this course, it is demonstrated how infections start, how they spread, and how the chain can be broken through always adhering to standard, or universal, best-practice precautions.
3. Proper Techniques for Use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): In this course, actual Direct Care Workers demonstrate proper techniques for handwashing, hand sanitizer use, and putting on, removing, and disposal of PPE.
4. Real-Life Challenges: This course provides several examples of real life challenges to following proper infection control techniques and how to navigate them.

Narrated by Katherine Hanson, M.S., IMPART Alliance Special Projects Coordinator has worked with IMPART Alliance since its beginning in 2016 and has over twenty years of community college teaching experience encompassing both in-person and online formats. She currently serves as the IMPART Alliance Special Projects Coordinator where her responsibilities include communicating with project participants, developing research instruments as well as data processing, analysis and summarization. She also designs and manages project websites, edits video content for several outlets, designs project-related publications, and prepares content for various social media networks.

• Define infection control  
• Define “germs” 
• Define ways in which germs are spread 
• Explain why standard precautions are important for infection control
• Describe proper steps for each personal protection and infection control skill