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Get pharmacy involved when tackling the JCAHO's IC standards

Pharmacy Regulation Resource, May 20, 2004

Make sure you have representation on your hospital's infection control (IC) committee. The JCAHO's revised IC standards emphasize a collaborative approach to prevention and control, so having pharmacy's concerns represented is more important than ever.

The revised standards take effect January 1, 2005 (go to the standards Web page at www.jcaho.org). Although the standards will not require you to have a formal interdisciplinary IC committee, the group is one way to make sure your hospital complies with the JCAHO's intent of the standard, says Tammy Lundstrom, MD, vice president and chief quality and safety officer at Detroit Medical Center.

The IC committee at Detroit Medical Center includes pharmacy staff, nursing staff, operating room staff, risk managers, physician leaders, and administrators, Lundstrom says. Organizations can add other representatives depending on the services they provide.

Tip: Have a staff member, such as a staff pharmacist, represent the pharmacy on the IC committee. The staff member will be able to provide the committee with a frontline perspective, Lundstrom says.

An interdisciplinary IC committee can help you draft new policies that comply with JCAHO standards and still allow departments to function efficiently without extra burden, Lundstrom says. The IC committee can draft a policy, and department leaders can then bring that policy back and discuss it with their staff to make any necessary changes.

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