Question: The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS), and the Joint Commission (JC) require that health care organizations maintain risk management programs to address infection control. Detail three measures that your health care organization (or any health care organization) could implement, beyond what is currently in practice, to support the delivery of safe health care services and avoid the spread of infection (e.g., placing hand washing devices at all of the public entrances of the health care facility). Support your response with a minimum of two peer-reviewed references.

Question: The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS), and the Joint Commission (JC) require that health care organizations maintain risk management programs to address infection control. Detail three measures that your health care organization (or any health care organization) could implement, beyond what is currently in practice, to support the delivery of safe health care services and avoid the spread of infection (e.g., placing hand washing devices at all of the public entrances of the health care facility). Support your response with a minimum of two peer-reviewed references.

Measures that support the delivery of safe health care services.

Answer:

1. Implement a comprehensive hand hygiene program. Hand hygiene is the single most important measure for preventing the spread of infection. All health care workers should be trained in proper hand hygiene technique.

2. Implement standard precautions. Standard precautions are a set of infection control measures that are to be used with all patients, regardless of their diagnosis or suspected infection status.

3. Implement environmental cleaning and disinfection protocols. Environmental cleaning and disinfection are important for preventing the spread of infection. All surfaces in the health care facility should be cleaned and disinfected on a regular basis.

4. Implement a respiratory hygiene and cough etiquette program. Respiratory hygiene and cough etiquette are important for preventing the spread of respiratory infections. All health care workers and patients should be trained in proper respiratory hygiene and cough etiquette.

5. Implement a safe injection practice program. Safe injection practices are important for preventing the spread of infection. All health care workers should be trained in proper safe injection practices.

References:

1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2017). Hand hygiene.

2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2018). Standard Precautions.

3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2018). Environmental cleaning and disinfection in healthcare settings.

4. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2018). Respiratory hygiene/cough etiquette in healthcare settings.

5. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2018). Safe injection practices.