Best Practice Resource Developed to Prevent Infections

The American Hospital Association and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have published best practices on using the healthcare physical environment to prevent infections. “Using the Health Care Physical Environment to Prevent and Control Infection: A Best Practice Guide to Help Health Care Organizations Create Safe, Healing Environments” contains best practices, case studies, resources and information based on key research. The book and associated Quick Guides can be used by healthcare facility managers, architects, designers, construction professionals, infection preventionists and anyone else involved in designing, building and operating healthcare facilities.

The new guidance was produced by two groups within the AHA—the Health Research & Educational Trust and the American Society for Healthcare Engineering—as part of a three-year CDC initiative to improve the implementation of infection prevention and control efforts in U.S. hospitals. The document, available as a free PDF download, contains guidance on six key topics:

• Infection Control Risk Assessments
• Hand Hygiene Infrastructure
• Reprocessing
• Cleaning of Environmental Surfaces
• Water-Related Environmental Infection Control
• Flow of Patients, Personnel, Equipment and Waste

For more information or to download a free copy of the publication, visit www.ashe.org/infectionprevention.