Guidelines for environmental infection control in health-care facilities: recommendations of CDC and the Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee (HICPAC)

The health-care facility environment is rarely implicated in disease transmission, except among patients who are immunocompromised. Nonetheless, inadvertent exposures to environmental pathogens (e.g., Aspergillus spp. and Legionella spp.) or airborne pathogens (e.g., Mycobacterium tuberculosis and varicella-zoster virus) can result in adverse patient outcomes and cause illness among health-care workers. Environmental infection-control strategies and engineering controls can effectively prevent these infections. The incidence of health-care--associated infections and pseudo-outbreaks can be minimized by 1) appropriate use of cleaners and disinfectants; 2) appropriate maintenance of medical equipment (e.g., automated endoscope reprocessors or hydrotherapy equipment); 3) adherence to water-quality standards for hemodialysis, and to ventilation standards for specialized care environments (e.g., airborne infection isolation rooms, protective environments, or operating rooms); and 4) prompt management of water intrusion into the facility. Routine environmental sampling is not usually advised, except for water quality determinations in hemodialysis settings and other situations where sampling is directed by epidemiologic principles, and results can be applied directly to infection-control decisions. This report reviews previous guidelines and strategies for preventing environment-associated infections in health-care facilities and offers recommendations. These include 1) evidence-based recommendations supported by studies; 2) requirements of federal agencies (e.g., Food and Drug Administration, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and U.S. Department of Justice); 3) guidelines and standards from building and equipment professional organizations (e.g., American Institute of Architects, Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation, and American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air-Conditioning Engineers); 4) recommendations derived from scientific theory or rationale; and 5) experienced opinions based upon infection-control and engineering practices. The report also suggests a series of performance measurements as a means to evaluate infection-control efforts.Introduction -- Recommendations for environmental infection_control in health-care facilities -- Recommendations : Air -- Recommendations : Water -- Recommendations : Environmental services -- Recommendations : Environmental sampling -- Recommendations : Laundry and bedding -- Recommendations : Animals in health-care facilities -- Recommendations : Regulated medical wastes -- References -- Appendix:_ Water sampling strategies and culture techniques for detecting Legionellaeprepared by Lynne Sehulster, Raymond Y.W. Chinn.The material in this report originated in the National Center for Infectious Diseases and the Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion.June 6, 2003Includes bibliographical references (p. 31-42)

Best practices for environmental cleaning in healthcare facilities : in resource-limited settings, Version 2

This document provides guidance on best practices for environmental cleaning procedures and programs in healthcare facilities in resource-limited settings. It was developed as a collaboration between the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Infection Control Africa Network (ICAN).Best Practices for Environmental Cleaning in Healthcare Facilities in Resource-Limited Settings is a publication of the Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion in the National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases within CDC and the Education Working Group of the Infection Control Africa Network.Suggested citation: CDC and ICAN. Best Practices for Environmental Cleaning in Healthcare Facilities in Resource-Limited Settings. Atlanta, GA: US Department of Health and Human Services, CDC; Cape Town, South Africa: Infection Control Africa Network; 2019. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/hai/prevent/resource-limited/index.html and http://www.icanetwork.co.za/icanguideline2019/CS314156-Aenvironmental-cleaning-RLS-H.pdf20191061

Healthcare Personnel Opinion and their Implementation Obstacles

Context: Hemodialysis HD patients, as well as the dialysis staff, are vulnerable to contracting health-care-associated infections (HAIs) due to frequent and prolonged exposure to many possible contaminants in the dialysis environment. Aim: Assess healthcare personnel's HCP opinion and their implementation obstacles regarding standard precautions (SPs) in the hemodialysis unit. Methods: The study was conducted at the hemodialysis unit at Al Mouwasat University Hospital, Alexandria, Egypt. A descriptive research design was used to collect data for this study. All healthcare personnel working in the setting mentioned above were included. Two tools were used. The first tool is a standard precautions practices in hemodialysis observational checklist: The second tool is a structured interview questionnaire to assess the opinion of healthcare personnel regarding the applicability of standard precautions in the hemodialysis unit and their implementation obstacles. Results: The standard precautions practice score showed unsatisfactory practice among HCP. Regarding their opinion, the majority of HCP disagreed to follow the five moments and reported that the WHO technique of hand hygiene is so sophisticated and time-consuming; they disagreed with changing gloves between patients and considering gloves as a substitute to hand hygiene. The majority recap the needle by two hand techniques disagreed with following respiratory hygiene, and color-coding was accepted only by nurses. Also, it was found that there was a positive correlation between years of experience, infection control training programs, and the level of SPs practice score. Conclusion: Unsatisfactory SPs practices showed a high percentage of HCP. Healthcare personnel tends to agree to certain infection control practices over other practices. Availability and accessibility of equipment and supplies that interfere with the application of SPs practices and lack of knowledge concerning infection prevention and control were considered as implementation obstacles of SPs practices. Education and training of HCP on SPs, together with consistent and robust management support, are recommended. In addition to the development of national precautions after conducting researches that confirm its effectiveness

Regulation 61-16 minimum standards for licensing hospitals and institutional general infirmaries

The regulations clearly define important terms, licensing procedures, and general management information for hospitals and institutional general infirmaries in South Carolina. These facilities are required to follow licensure laws as outlined in Section 44-7-260 of the Code of Laws of South Carolina (1976)

Regulation 61-16 minimum standards for licensing hospitals and institutional general infirmaries

Executive Order 2021-23 (SCSR 45-5 EO 2021-23), effective May 11, 2021, extended by Executive Order 2021-25 (SCSR 45-6 EO 2021-25), effective May 22, 2021, relating to modifying amending emergency measures and regulatory relief regarding COVID-19, authorized the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) to suspend, for the duration of the present emergency, any necessary and applicable provisions of Regulations 61-15 and 61-16, which restrict the use of unlicensed beds or space, the conversion of single and double occupancy patient rooms to account for higher patient capacity, or the establishment of wards, dormitories, or other spaces not designated as patient rooms

Managing occupational hazards confronting healthcare workers

The primary goal of this thesis is to identify, evaluate, and control occupational hazards that may exist in health care facilities. Due to the complex nature of health care facilities, healthcare workers are always challenged by an imposing group of occupational hazards. The magnitude and diversity of these hazards, and the constantly changing nature of government regulations make it difficult to guarantee absolute protection and accuracy of the material contained herein. However, awareness of the risks, compliance with basic preventive measures, and adequate interventions are all essential components to consider in protecting healthcare workers. Therefore, potential health effects of various hazards such as back injuries, heat, noise, infectious hazards, pharmaceutical hazards, chemicals, exposure to radiation, and prevalent psychosocial (stress) problems are reviewed, and rational approaches to managing and preventing these problems are offered. This thesis also presents a broad overview of hospital safety programs, and job safety analyses; it offers assistance in understanding and complying with regulations and guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), and the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO)

Emergency water supply planning guide for hospitals and health care facilities

cdc:5958In order to maintain daily operations and patient care services, healthcare facilities need to develop an Emergency Water Supply Plan (EWSP) to prepare for, respond to, and recover from a total or partial interruption of the facility\u2019s normal water supply. Water supply interruption can be caused by several types of events such as a natural disaster, a failure of the community water system, construction damage, or even an act of terrorism. Because water supplies can and do fail, it is imperative to understand and address how patient safety, quality of care, and the operations of your facility will be impacted.Below are a few examples of critical water usage in a healthcare facility that could be impacted by a water interruption or outage. They are divided into two categories developed by the Standards of the Joint Commission (Standard EM.02.02.09) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Conditions for Participation/Conditions for Coverage (42 CFR 482.41), which require hospitals to address the provision of water as part ofthe facility\u2019s Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) under Standard EM.02.02.09. Standard EM.02.02.09 requires hospitals to identify alternative means of providing water needed for consumption and essential care activities, and water needed for equipment and sanitary purposes.Suggested citation: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and American Water Works Association. Emergency Water Supply Planning Guide for Hospitals and Healthcare Facilities. Atlanta: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; 2012. Updated 2019.CS302124-Cemergency-water-supply-planning-guide-2019-508.pdf1. Abbreviations and Acronyms. -- 2. Executive Summary. -- 3. Introduction -- 4. Overview of Plan Development Process -- 5. Step 1: Assemble the facility\u2019s EWSP team and the necessary background documents -- 6. Step 2: Understand water usage through a water use audit -- 7. Step 3: Analyze your emergency water supply alternatives -- 8. Step 4: Develop and exercise your EWSP -- 9. Conclusion -- 10. References -- 11. Bibliography -- 12. Appendices -- Appendix A: Case Studies -- Appendix B: Example Plan -- Appendix C: Loss-of-Water-Scenario -- Appendix D: Example Water Use Audit Forms 1 and 2 -- Appendix E: Portable Water Flow Meters -- Appendix F: Dialysis Considerations -- Appendix G: Explanations of Figures for Accessibility -- Appendix H: Acknowledgments.2019645

Women and Chemicals at Work

Information packet on women and chemicals at work produced by the Women’s Occupational Health Resource Center (WOHRC). The WOHRC (1979-1987) was a research and training program devoted to identifying and better understanding hazards faced by women workers. WOHRC was housed in Columbia’s School of Public Health and directed by Professor Jeanne Mager Stellman. WOHRC was a designated OSHA New Directions Training program, and also received support from other federal and private agencies. As a New Directions project, WOHRC trained thousands of workers and professionals in hazard recognition and accident and illness prevention for women workers. In order to carry out its public health programs, WOHRC developed and disseminated original educational materials. The materials were designed to be authoritative while at the same time accessible to non-professional users (e.g. the workers). WOHRC published a monthly newsletter that contained a “fact sheet” focusing on a particular job or a particular hazard. The fact sheets were also made available individually or collected into “fact packs” of related materials