The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has updated its guidelines for infection prevention and control in health care workplaces to cover a broader variety of health care settings and offer guidance on quality performance measures.
The previous guidelines, published in 1998, described the role of occupational health services in providing infection prevention and control (IPC) services to health care personnel. The guidance also included considerations for emergency response personnel and for provisions in the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The updated document details several IPC elements, including:
- extended guidance on policies and procedures for delivering occupational IPC services;
- recommendations for a wider variety of health care settings, such as hospitals, long-term care facilities, and outpatient settings;
- information about service oversight by occupational health leadership; and
- guidance on the use of performance measures to track occupational infection prevention and control measures and inform quality improvement initiatives.
CDC developed the new recommendations through a systematic review of peer-reviewed literature published from January 2004 to December 2015, along with a review of occupational IPC guidelines, regulations, and standards.
Contact Senior Director of Policy Erin O’Malley at eomalley@essentialhospitals.org or 202.585.0127 with questions.
