Occupational Epidemiology in Action: Leveraging Technology to Manage Respiratory Infection Exposures

Tuesday, June 17, 2025

4:16 PM – 4:45 PM MST

Location: North Room 124

CE: 0.5

CME Credits: 0.5
CNE Credits: 0.5

Presenter(s)

Rachel Ronne, MPH

Employee Epidemiology Coordinator
Medical University of South Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina

Disclosure(s): No financial relationships to disclose

Moderator(s)

Margaret M. Gilman, MAS, CIC, FAPIC (she/her/hers)

Director, Infection Prevention and Control
Nemours Children's Hospital, Delaware
King of Prussia, Pennsylvania

Disclosure(s): No financial relationships to disclose

Session Description: Respiratory infections, especially in high-risk environments like healthcare facilities, require a proactive approach to managing employee-to-employee (E2E) exposures. This presentation will equip infection prevention professionals with practical strategies and best practices to mitigate the spread of respiratory infections among healthcare personnel (HCP). A key focus will be the use of a custom data collection and management project that was implemented to identify, assess, and track cases of epidemiologically significant respiratory infections (ESRI) among approximately 30,000 HCP in a large hospital system across diverse geographical regions, facilities, and practice settings.

The presentation will detail how HCP self-report ESRI test results through an online survey, capturing critical data on demographics, infection details, occupational exposures, and community impact. It will also highlight how advanced features were customized to calculate pathogen incubation periods and potential transmission windows while incorporating branching and skip logic to improve data quality. Additionally, the presentation will highlight how the project is used for real-time decision-making, such as promptly notifying HCP of high-risk E2E exposures and communicating sentinel events to key decision-makers.

The session will also include the analysis of real-world examples of disease surveillance and reporting features, including the workforce impact of potential occupational exposures by facility, department, or unit, examining epi-curves for occupational illness trends by season, analyzing the proportion of positive HCP with occupationally acquired infection over time, and identifying hotspots of HCP infection that may indicate a community surge.

The presentation will conclude by outlining the essential components of a comprehensive exposure management plan, including risk assessment, contact tracing, quarantine protocols, and post-exposure follow-up. By integrating innovative tools with traditional infection prevention strategies, this presentation will provide attendees with the insights and practical guidance needed to protect their workforce and maintain a safe, productive workplace.

Learning Objectives:

Upon completion, participants will be able to identify challenges and solutions in implementing innovative data collection tools for occupational epidemiology.
Upon completion, participants will be able to explain how leveraging customizable technology can enhance disease surveillance and exposure management in diverse practice settings.
Upon completion, participants will be able to describe the impact of employee-to-employee transmission on workplace health and patient safety and summarize the essential components of a comprehensive exposure management plan.