Infection Prevention and Control Issues in the Environment of Care, 3rd Edition

Patients getting sick or sicker while in a health care setting may be ironic, but it is not new. More than 75,000 patients die every year from health care associated infections (HAIs) in the United States alone. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that hundreds of millions of patients around the world are affected by HAIs each year, and the burden of these infections is significantly higher in low- and middle-income nations. In addition to the human cost, there are financial repercussions: in the United States, treating patients who acquire HAIs costs an estimated $9.8 billion annually and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) no longer reimburses for extra costs associated with certain types of HAIs. Infection Prevention and Control Issues in the Environment of Care, Third Edition has been completely revised with current domestic and international standards, as well as new case studies and tools. This new edition addresses unique infection control issues for all health care settings by helping organizations do the following: Explore the connection between infection control (IC) and the environment of care (EC) Examine the human element, including staff education and the working partnership between IC and EC professionals Tackle equipment cleaning, disinfection, sterilization, and maintenance Protect utility systems from IC risks, including air-handling, ventilation, and water distribution systems Focus on housekeeping activities and safely manage regulated medical waste Discern special IC considerations to address before, during, and after construction Better understand the relationship between IC and emergency management Apply strategies for measuring for improvements in the EC and IC IC in the EC provides guidelines and strategies to help you organize, improve, and benchmark your IC efforts. Case studies offer examples of plans or projects that have proven effective in a range of health care facilities. Useful resources and websites will help you further examine key issues.