Previously limited to bloodborne pathogens such as HIV, Hepatitis B or C, the OUCH Pager program has been expanded to include exposure to any biological agent to better protect employees and students of UNMC, The Nebraska Medical Center and UNMC Physicians.
“We have a system in place that provides immediate help after an exposure and resources to help decide if treatment is necessary,” said Philip Smith, M.D., professor of infectious diseases at UNMC.
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In the past, nurses from Employee Health manned the OUCH Pager. Now a group of experienced nurses in the medical communications call center answer these calls 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
“We want people to call for all biological exposures,” said Kristine Hansen-Cain, nurse practitioner with employee health.
Information online
In the event of an exposure, employees can also access information on the hospital intranet.
“Many agents have well established treatment guidelines such as HIV and Hepatitis B, but some biologics do not have much written as far as medical guidelines,” Dr. Smith said.
To address this, UNMC medical student Catharine Paules, working under the direction of Dr. Smith, researched many agents used in research on campus. A team took that information and developed a user-friendly algorithm that clinicians across campus can reference quickly when an employee is exposed. New algorithms will be added and updated as needed.
As always, safety first
Dr. Smith urged employees to always keep safety in mind.
“Wear your protective equipment, practice good hand washing and it’s very important to stay current on your vaccines,” he said.