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Learn why it may be a good time to revisit your infection control policy and procedures on standard precautions

Accreditation Connection, November 23, 2004

With the JCAHO's recent emphasis on infection control (IC), now is a good time to revisit your policy and procedures on standard precautions if you already haven't.

As part of its 2005 National Patient Safety Goals, the accreditor wants healthcare organizations to reduce healthcare-acquired infections (HAI). Roughly 90,000 people die each year from HAI, according to national estimates.

All healthcare facilities should have a policy on standard precautions, formerly known as universal precautions, regardless of their size, setting, or specialty.

"This is a basic practice in healthcare at all levels. Anyone not having this [policy] in place is way behind the curve and probably not very well organized," says Steven A. MacArthur, safety consultant with The Greeley Company in Marblehead, MA. The Greeley Company is a division of HCPro, Inc, which publishes Briefings on JCAHO.

You'll want to involve a variety of staff whether you decide to create, review, or update your standard precautions policy. "While it can be a challenge to obtain review and input from several staff, the end result will be a better policy and procedure," says Cameron Bruce, PE, CSP, principal of Cameron Bruce Associates in Orinda, CA, who adds that staff may have different levels of expertise and offer a wide range of viewpoints in complementary disciplines."

The appropriate staff to review your standard precautions include

*  members of the IC committee, which includes your facility's IC practitioner

*  a nursing manager or educator

*  a physician representative from the medical staff

*  the safety officer

* a representative from housekeeping

While the major concepts, such as hand hygiene, personal protective equipment, and sharps disposal may remain the same, other facets of the policy may differ among organizations. Some facilities may want to expand on certain aspects, for example, housekeeping and its role in environmental decontamination.

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