New Compendium of Strategies to Prevent Healthcare-Associated Infections

Today, the Compendium of Strategies to Prevent Healthcare-Associated Infections in Acute Care Hospitals was released in Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology.  The Compendium contains practical strategies for preventing the six most significant hospital-acquired infections in acute-care hospitals.  The strategies include recommendations for first- and second-tier infection control practices – ones which should be adopted by all acute-care hospitals in all cases, such as hand hygiene, and others that might need to be employed in the event of certain outbreaks.  The six hospital-acquired infections that are the focus on the Compendium are:

 

• Methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)
• Clostridium difficile infections (C-diff)
• Central-line associated bloodstream infections
• Ventilator-associated pneumonia
• Catheter-associated urinary tract infections
• Surgical-site infections

The report was sponsored by the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) and the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA).  Partners in the work were the Association for Professionals in Infection Control (APIC), the Joint Commission, and the American Hospital Association.  The Joint Commission also announced that it would be considering adoption of the strategies into its accreditation standards and patient safety goals.