Update
NEW CDC GUIDELINES FOR OUTPATIENT FACILITIES
July 2011
To protect patients and help educate clinicians about minimum expectations of safe care, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has released a new, concise guide and checklist specifically for health care providers in outpatient care settings such as endoscopy clinics, surgery centers, primary care offices, and pain
management clinics.
The new materials reinforce the following minimum expectations:
Health care personnel should always:
- Follow procedures for safe handling of potentially contaminated medical equipment
- Ensure safe medical injection practices are followed
Outpatient facilities and practices should:
- Develop and maintain infection prevention and occupational health programs
- Ensure that at least one individual with training in infection control is employed by or regularly available to the facility. This person should be responsible for overseeing the facility's infection prevention program.
- Develop written infection-prevention policies and procedures appropriate for the services provided by the facility and based upon evidence-based guidelines, regulations, or standards
- Provide job- or task-specific infection prevention education and training to all health care personnel
- Make sure sufficient and appropriate supplies necessary for adherence to standard precautions are available
- Perform regular audits and competency evaluations of staff's adherence to infection prevention practices
- Utilize CDC's infection prevention checklist for outpatient settings to assess infection control practices
- Adhere to local, state, and federal requirements regarding HAI surveillance, reportable diseases, and outbreak reporting
To access the guide, checklist, and supporting materials visit
http://www.cdc.gov/HAI/settings/outpatient/outpatient-settings.html
MOVING THE QUALITY OF HEALTHCARE FORWARD