Infection
WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION
control
AIDE-MEMOIRE
For infection prevention and control in a health-
care facility
; Checklist
Health care-associated infections lead to death, disability and excess Management
medical costs. Introduction of new technologies, in the absence of
Infection prevention and
infrastructure to use them safely, may lead to adverse events. control policy, with committee
Infection prevention and control maximize patient outcomes and and officer
are part of the government's responsibility to provide effective,
Initial infection control
efficient and quality health services. They must be achieved through assessment
collaboration with the public and private sectors. Health-care
Assignment of responsibilities
facilities must implement infection prevention and control policies
Choice of appropriate
technologies
supported by institutional management. An overall approach to an
Costing, budgeting and
infection prevention and control policy at the health-care facility financing
level is based upon:
Quality standards
Management;
Monitoring & supervision
Information, Education and Communication (IEC);
Performance assessment
Continuous availability of essential equipment and supplies;
Surveillance. Information, Education and
Examples of core infection prevention and control interventions Communication (IEC)
are listed overleaf. In addition, specific activities include:
Adoption of best practice
Health-care worker protection; standards
Isolation protocols for specific infectious diseases (e.g.
Standard precautions
tuberculosis, SARS) and high-risk settings (e.g. dialysis);
Pre-service training
Rational use of anti-microbials;
In-service training
Safe and appropriate use of injections and infusions; Equipment and supply
Safe and appropriate use of blood and blood products;
Establishment of a list of
Hospital sanitation. essential infection control
equipment and supplies
Words of advice
Forecasting of needs
Conduct an initial assessment
Costing, budgeting and
financing
Establish an infection prevention and control committee
Procurement
coordinated by the infection prevention and control
Inventory control and stock
officer management
Formulate an Action Plan, with costing, budgeting and
Maintenance
financing
Surveillance
Develop an IEC strategy for health-care workers and
Surveillance
strengthen supervision
Feedback
Ensure the continuous availability of supplies and
Outbreak investigation
equipment for patient care management
Evaluation using indicators of:
Surveillance Structure
Process (practices)
Confirm value through monitoring, providing data and Outcomes
measuring the impact of interventions (incidence of infections)
© World Health Organization 2004. All rights reserved. WHO/EHT/04.15. Printed October 2004
Core infection prevention and control interventions for
health-care facilities at a glance
Critical process
Specific Equipment and supply indicators for
interventions Target groups needs * monitoring
Hand hygiene All health-care Clean running water Proportion of staff
workers † Soap (mounted preferable) observed performing
Visitors Sinks or basins hand hygiene before
Patients Towels attending patients
Alcohol-based solutions
Personal All health-care Gloves Proportion of staff
protective workers † Gowns observed wearing
equipment gloves when exposure
to blood or body fluids
is anticipated
Isolation Nurses Gloves Average time between
precautions Physicians Gowns admission and
Nursing aids Masks isolation for
Other Eye protection tuberculosis patients
Aseptic technique Nurses Antiseptics Proportion of
Physicians Sterile gloves intravenous lines
Laboratory Sterile devices and inserted using aseptic
technicians instruments technique
Dental surgeons Sterile barrier devices
Cleaning and Nurses Cleaning fluids Proportion of rooms
disinfection Nursing aids Cleaning equipment appropriately
Housekeeping staff Disinfectant disinfected after
Laboratory staff patients' discharge
Sterilization Sterilization staff Autoclaves and steam Proportion of
Nurses sterilizers sterilized devices
Laboratory Test strips whose sterility is
technicians Chemicals documented with test
Dental surgeons strips
Waste Health-care workers Sharps boxes and other Presence of health-care
management Waste handlers collection containers waste in the
Logisticians Storage space and container surroundings of the
for interim storage health-care facility
Final disposal options
Personal protection equip-
ment for waste handlers
Antibiotic use Physicians Essential list of antibiotics Proportion of
protocol prescriptions including
an antibiotic
Immunization and All health-care Hepatitis B vaccine and Three-dose hepatitis B
exposure workers † other appropriate vaccines vaccine coverage
management among nurses,
physicians and
laboratory technicians
*
Key indicator: Proportion of essential supplies stocked out.
†
Include nursing staff, physicians, dental staff, laboratory staff, housekeeping staff, waste management staff and morgue staff.
Department of Essential Health Technologies (EHT), World Health Organization
20 Avenue Appia, 1211 Geneva 27, Switzerland. Fax: +41 22 791 4836. Email: sign@who.int. Internet: www.who.int/injection_safety
