Patient Safety Authority Develops Infection Control Plan Recommendations
The Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority (PSA) has developed recommendations for infection control plans that hospitals, ambulatory surgical facilities, and nursing homes must create under Act 52 of 2007.
The plans must include measures for detecting, controlling, and preventing hospital-associated infections; culture surveillance processes and policies; a system to identify and designate patients known to be infected with multi-drug resistant organisms (MRDOs); and mandatory education for hospital personnel.
PSA has gone beyond the state mandate and also recommends that facilities:
- Develop standing orders for infection screening
- Screen high-risk patients on admission, transfer, and discharge
- Obtain cultures within two hours of admission
- Educate staff on proper specimen collection techniques and require annual demonstrations of competency
- Provide patient care areas with adequate supplies to perform cultures
- Develop a process to notify receiving health care facilities about infected patients
For more information on PSA’s recommendations, read its December 2007 Patient Safety Advisory.
To learn about MRDOs, visit our antibiotic resistance page.
Last Updated: 10/2/2009