ut how to prevent HAIs and protect providers and patients from infection. The CDC has specific guidelines for infection control and prevention, including:
- Disinfection and sterilization
- Hand hygiene
- Proper handling of laundry
- Environmental infection control
- Isolation precautions
- Multidrug-resistant organisms (MDRO)
- Catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI)
- Organ transplantation
- Surgical site infection (SSI)
- Dialysis infection control
- Disease/organism-specific infection control guidelines:
- Tuberculosis (TB)
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has also developed a committee dedicated to the prevention of HAIs and sepsis in hospitals. The HHS Steering Committee for the Prevention of Healthcare-Associated Infections began in 2008 and continues offer support for prevention strategies and healthcare education. The Committee developed a National Action Plan to Prevent Healthcare-Associated Infections: Road Map to Elimination, which includes the following:
- Phase One: Focuses on the top six high priority HAIs:
- Surgical site infections
- Central line-associated bloodstream infections
- Ventilator-associated events
- Catheter-associated urinary tract infections
- Clostridium difficile (C. diff) infections
- Methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections
- Phase Two: Expands infection control efforts outside hospitals to outpatient settings including end-stage renal disease facilities and ambulatory surgical centers. Phase two also promotes better influenza vaccination rates among healthcare providers.
- Phase Three: Further expands efforts to include long-term care facilities like nursing homes, rehabilitation facilities, and skilled-nursing facilities.
- Phase Four: Reviews federal antibiotic stewardship efforts in various healthcare settings, and highlights the importance of stewardship in the prevention of HAIs.
Most healthcare facilities also have their own policies and procedures for infection control. It is up to those working in these environmen