Developing a broader approach to management of infection control breaches in health care settings

Priti R Patel; Arjun Srinivasan; Joseph F Perz

doi:10.1016/j.ajic.2008.04.255

Developing a broader approach to management of infection control breaches in health care settings

Am J Infect Control. 2008 Dec;36(10):685-90. doi: 10.1016/j.ajic.2008.04.255.

Authors

Priti R Patel¹, Arjun Srinivasan, Joseph F Perz

Affiliation

¹ Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30333, USA. ppatel@cdc.gov

PMID: 19084163
DOI: 10.1016/j.ajic.2008.04.255

Abstract

Our experiences with health departments and health care facilities suggest that questions surrounding instrument reprocessing errors and other infection control breaches are becoming increasingly common. We describe an approach to management of these incidents that focuses on risk of bloodborne pathogen transmission and the role of public health and other stakeholders to inform patient notification and testing decisions.

MeSH terms

Blood-Borne Pathogens
Cross Infection / prevention & control*
Cross Infection / transmission
Equipment Contamination
Health Facilities
Humans
Infection Control / organization & administration*
Infection Control Practitioners
Infectious Disease Transmission, Patient-to-Professional / prevention & control
Infectious Disease Transmission, Professional-to-Patient / prevention & control
Public Health
Risk Assessment