Medical care provided in outpatient settings is on the rise. In fact, more than three-quarters of all operations in the US today are performed at outpatient facilities. To help educate physicians about best infection prevention practices in outpatient care settings, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently published “The Guide to Infection Prevention for Outpatient Settings: Minimum Expectations for Safe Care.”
One recommendation is for all outpatient care facilities to have a trained infection prevention leader on staff or regularly available. This person should be actively involved in developing an internal infection control policy and should communicate with other health care providers within the facility to address any issues or concerns on an ongoing basis.
This guide contains several additional infection control best practices, including:
- Follow procedures for the safe handling of potentially contaminated medical equipment, and ensure that safe medical injection practices are followed. Ensure that local, state, and federal requirements are being followed.
- Establish and maintain infection prevention and occupational health programs.
- Provide appropriate training to staff; training may be job-specific or even task-specific.
- Ensure the facility has the supplies necessary to adhere to standard precautions.
- Perform regular internal audits to assess infection control practices. Use the checklist found in this guide to evaluate infection prevention practices.