SOW.pdf

Statement of Work

TITLE: Hospital Respiratory Protection Programs: Usefulness of Resources and Information Gaps

I. BACKGROUND

Protecting workers from exposure to all types of respiratory hazards is an important issue for all hospital staff, yet often does not receive the attention it deserves. As part of a constellation of research initiatives designed to improve respiratory protection programs (RPP), CDC/NIOSH/NPPTL supported the development of two educational resources, which were released in the spring of 2015: A national toolkit, Hospital Respiratory Protection Program Toolkit: Resources for Respirator Program Administrators, developed in collaboration with OSHA; and an educational monograph, Implementing Hospital

Respiratory Protection Programs: Strategies from the Field, developed in collaboration with The Joint

Commission.

These resources were designed to work together to assist hospitals in the development and implementation of their respiratory protection programs. In order to capitalize on the complementary material in both educational documents, and to reach slightly different audiences, these resources have been promoted and disseminated together by the three organizations (NIOSH, OSHA, and The Joint

Commission). Dissemination efforts have included announcements and press releases; website, electronic, and social media postings; promotion at professional conferences; various publications; and a joint educational webinar conducted by NIOSH and The Joint Commission (with CE credits available).

Despite widespread dissemination, it is unclear if these resources are reaching their targeted audiences and are helpful to those responsible for respiratory protection programs in hospitals. In addition, government agencies (such as CDC NIOSH) and professional associations continue to receive questions from the field regarding how to handle specific issues related to respirators, such as “should visitors wear respirators when they are in airborne isolation units even though they have not been fit-tested” and

“should staff exposed to surgical smoke in the OR wear respirators if they have not been fit tested?”

Many of these situational and clinical questions are not directly answered in existing published guidelines, such as CDC’s Guideline for Isolation Precautions: Preventing Transmission of Infectious

Agents in Healthcare Settings (2007) or Guidelines for Environmental Infection Control in Health-care

Facilities (2003). Nor are they specifically addressed in the two newer resources. There is a need to assemble a listing of new and ongoing issues and problems to determine how to best support healthcare professionals as they implement and operationalize their respiratory protection programs.

In order to capitalize on the complementary material in both educational documents, partnering with The

Joint Commission for suggested improvements would be most advantageous to both NIOSH and healthcare workers’. Proper use of respiratory protection helps NIOSH to translate these resources into practice and is fundamental in NIOSH achieving its strategic goals.

II. PURPOSE

The purpose of this contract is twofold: 1. To assess the perceived usefulness of the 2015 toolkit and monograph related to respiratory protection programs; and 2. To identify information gaps where additional guidance might be needed.

III. SCOPE OF WORK

The Contractor shall furnish all labor, equipment, materials, and supplies necessary to perform the tasks that follow.

IV. TASK(S) TO BE PERFORMED

Task 1– Develop a mechanism and strategy to gather information and appraise the usability of the Toolkit and

Monograph from healthcare stakeholders.

Task 2 – Submit a manuscript detailing the findings and a final report detailing unanswered questions and issues that present informational gaps to direct future informational, policy and training initiatives.

V. GOVERNMENT FURNISHED MATERIALS

None.

VI. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

The Contractor shall complete the technical effort specified under Section IV (TASKS TO BE

PERFORMED), within twelve (12) months after the effective date of the contract. The anticipated term of the contract, including time allowed for development of a strategy, collection of information and final report, is twelve (12) months after the effective date of the contract.

VII. DELIVERABLES

The contractor shall provide the following deliverables to the Project Officer by the Due Dates given below.

1. The contractor will participate in a conference call kickoff meeting.

2. The contractor will develop a strategy and collect data per Task 1.

3. The contractor will produce a manuscript per Task 2.

4. A final report providing details as described in Task 2.

All electronic files should be delivered in MS Word format and provided via e-mail.

Deliverables Copies Due Date

Kickoff Meeting Within one week of date of contract

Develop strategy Within four months after start of contract

Finalize data collection Ten months after start of contract

Draft manuscript due to NIOSH Email Eleven months after start of contract

Final manuscript Email Eleven and one half months from start of contract

Draft final report due to NIOSH Email Eleven and one half months from start of contract

Final report Email Final due twelve months after contract award.

VIII. PROJECT OFFICER

Debbie Novak, SCSS

National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory

626 Cochrans Mill Road

Pittsburgh, PA 15236

304-285-5724 ybq4@cdc.gov

IX. PAYMENT TERMS (note if and how partial payments are authorized).

Payment will be made in accordance with the line items established herein and in accordance with FAR

52.232-25, Prompt Payment, which states that the due date for making invoice payments shall be the 30th day after the designated billing office (see block 21 of the order) has received a proper invoice from the vendor or the 30th day after Government acceptance of the services performed by the vendor, whichever is later.

X. MINIMUM VENDOR QUALIFICATIONS

• Contractor must have demonstrated experience with various and extensive communications mechanisms to reach hospitals nationwide and healthcare worker professional organizations.