The CDC unveiled a national infection control training initiative Oct. 28 known as Project Firstline to help prevent the spread of infectious diseases in healthcare settings.
The $180 million initiative will offer new training modules, town hall discussions and telementoring services for front-line healthcare workers, including nurses, physicians and environmental service workers.
The training entails 11 short, interactive videos on infection control best practices that healthcare workers can watch on their phones. The videos also explain the science and rationale behind each infection control practice.
"The more we can educate healthcare workers on not just what to do, but why, the more likely they will do the right thing every time," Marie Cleary-Fishman, vice president of clinical quality at the American Hospital Association, who helped create the training program, said in a news release.
Project Firstline stems from a collaboration between the CDC, more than a dozen health experts and 64 health departments nationwide. The group has spent the last few months holding listening sessions with front-line healthcare workers to help inform the infection control training curriculum.