Core Concepts of Veterinary Hospital Biosecurity: Creating a Custom Plan
On 5/11/23, Fluxergy hosted an educational webinar with Dr. Brandy Burgess and Dr. Josie Traub-Dargatz on the core concepts of veterinary hospital biosecurity. Dr. Burgess, an expert in equine infection control and biosecurity, shared her approach to disease prevention and mitigation in a clinical setting. Moderated by Dr. Josie Traub-Dargatz, real-world examples were used to illustrate Dr. Burgess’ strategies.
The four tenants of veterinary hospital biosecurity can be categorized into the following groups:
1) Surveillance
One of the first steps in creating a robust biosecurity program is setting up a data collection system for your clinic. Establishing a baseline and building a process can make reporting instances of disease easier and faster. Surveillance protocols can be tailored for the appropriate risk level depending on the needs of your practice. Some clinics may need more comprehensive preventative plans (I.e., actively testing all patients for infection), while others may be safe with a minimalistic approach (I.e., testing only symptomatic patients).
2) Patient Contact
Limiting the contact your patients have with each other can help keep diseases contained. From physical isolation to keeping resources separated, preventing firsthand and secondhand contact between patients is one of the easiest ways to practice biosecurity. Think of all the items in your clinic that patients touch; of those items and locations, what are the communal resources? Those are the items and places that should be regularly disinfected or kept to a single patient, if possible.
3) Hygiene
Hygiene, both personal and environmental, is an important factor in preventing infectious disease outbreaks. Ensuring employees have the proper PPE and hand washing stations can slow the spread of disease across the barn. For environmental hygiene, using appropriate surface disinfectants on a regular basis in commonly used areas can help clear germs and keep these areas safer.
4) Education and Awareness
One of the largest gaps in biosecurity plans is the education of all clinic members. Every person who interacts with patients on a daily basis needs to be informed and trained on the latest biosecurity protocols, from isolation procedures to regular cleaning protocols. By holding regular meetings and training refreshers, you can help ensure biosecurity is at the top of the mind of the clinic’s employees.
By taking stock of your clinic’s needs, creating a biosecurity plan can be simple. Prevention is always the best measure, and having adequate rapid testing can help prevent outbreaks. While not all healthcare-associated infections are preventable, steps can be taken to keep your patients safe. Watch the webinar here for the full discussion on the importance of biosecurity in veterinary hospitals: https://www.fluxergy.com/resource/core-concepts-of-veterinary-hospital-biosecurity
Brandy A. Burgess, DVM, MSc, PhD, DACVIM, DACVPM, is currently an associate professor of epidemiology and infection control in the Department of Population Health, the Director of Infection Control and Biosecurity at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital, and the Interim Assistant Dean for Clinical Services in the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Georgia, in Athens, Georgia.
