Infection Prevention and Control Issues in the Environment of Care

Approximately 1 in 30 hospital patients develops a health care associated infection (HAI) on any given day, and about 70,000 individuals die as a direct or indirect result of such infections each year. And the impact goes beyond hospitals and even beyond health care these infections carry a significant financial burden, especially in low- and middle-income nations. In the United States, treating patients who develop HAIs costs billions of dollars annually.

The fourth edition of the best-selling Infection Control and Prevention Issues in the Environment of Care is designed to help infection preventionists, other infection prevention and control practitioners, and physical environment professionals collaborate to design, improve, and manage an infection prevention and control program that will protect patients, staff, and visitors from the threat of infection. This edition explores the keys to maintaining a safe, infection-free environment, which includes reducing and controlling environmental hazards and risks. It examines various infection risks, both in the United States and abroad, that can be minimized or eradicated through proper management of the physical environment.

Key Topics:

• Joint Commission and Joint Commission International standards for infection prevention and control, related standards for the physical environment and emergency management, and infection-related patient safety goals
• The human element of infection prevention and control efforts from high-level leadership to frontline staff, patients, and visitors in such areas as hand hygiene, sharps management, and staff training
• Infection prevention and control considerations before, during, and after a construction project, including risk assessments
• Reprocessing medical/surgical items, including what types of items need to be reprocessed, the role of different departments in reprocessing, and alternative equipment maintenance programs
• The impact of utility and water distribution and management systems on infection control
• The importance of addressing infection control in emergency management plans to manage risks during emergencies
• Performance improvement and measuring infection control in the physical environment
• Guidelines, requirements, specifications, and recommendations for infection prevention and control in the physical environment

Key Features:

• Practical tips and strategies to improve infection prevention and control programs
• Advice for how environment of care and infection control professionals can collaborate
• Case studies profiling infection control plans and projects that have proven effective in health care facilities
• Useful tools and checklists to help health care organizations assess and address infection control risks in the care environment
• Mock tracer scenarios and questions to identify infection risks and monitor compliance
• Helpful sidebars guide organizations in assessing compliance with Joint Commission/Joint Commission International standards and other guidelines and requirements, explore the pros and cons of various infection control approaches, find resources for additional guidance on infection control issues, and more
• Figures that break down complex information in a visual, easy-to-understand format

Standards: Infection Prevention and Control (IC); Environment of Care (EC); Emergency Management (EM)

International standards for Prevention and Control of Infections (PCI) and Facility Management and Safety (FMS)

Setting: All settings

Key Audience: Infection preventionists, infection prevention and control program leaders, facility managers, environment of care staff, housekeeping