This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
AAP: Hygiene, isolation protocols critical for infection control in pediatric office
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
To reduce the risk of infectious disease spread during ambulatory care visits, the AAP Committee on Infectious Diseases emphasized mandatory immunization against influenza and other vaccine-preventable diseases for health care providers, as well as adherence to proper hand hygiene and isolation precautions.
“In the ambulatory setting, infection prevention and control are essential practices to ensure patient safety by preventing the transmission of infectious agents to patients and accompanying people, health care personnel and other employees,” Mobeen H. Rathore, MD, FAAP, from the University of Florida Center for HIV/AIDS Research, Education and Service and the department of infectious diseases and immunology and Wolfson Children’s Hospital, and colleagues wrote. “Infection prevention and control should start at the time an ambulatory visit is scheduled and is important in every patient encounter.”
In the updated policy statement, the researchers highlighted new guidance on the prevention of infection in patients with cystic fibrosis who are more susceptible to drug-resistant bacterial infections. In particular, the new guidelines recommend that cystic fibrosis patients should wear a mask throughout their visit and rather than share space with others in the waiting area, should be placed immediately in an examination room.
Rathore and colleagues also noted that practices should have protocols in place dictating how often toys, books and computers in the waiting area or examinations rooms are cleaned; however, the researchers specifically recommended against the stocking of stuffed animals in the common areas as these toys are difficult to clean and can increase the spread of contagions.
Other recommendations addressed in this update include:
- Infection prevention and control (IPC) policies and procedures should be developed, integrated into a practice’s safety program and available in a written format for office staff. All policies should be reviewed at least every 2 years;
- Staff should be vaccinated against influenza and other vaccine-preventable diseases, including pertussis, measles, mumps, rubella, varicella and hepatitis B. Documentation should be provided by all staff regarding these immunizations;
- Hand hygiene should be promoted through the use of an alcohol-based hand rub or hand-washing with soap and water before and after encounters with patients and their immediate environments;
- Standard precautions, including the use of gloves when in contact with blood, all bodily fluids, secretions and excretions, mucous membranes, nonintact skin and items exposed to bodily fluids, should be consistently implemented with all patients;
- Prompt triage should occur for children with potentially contagious diseases or those with compromised immune systems, and a plan for those with highly contagious infections should be developed. Additionally, interaction between infected and uninfected children should be limited;
- Communication between offices and families should be strengthened through policies regarding infectious disease outbreaks, emergencies and seasonal spikes in infections;
- The spread of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria should be prevented through proper use of antimicrobial agents.
“Additional IPC recommendations not covered in this statement may be necessary for other ambulatory medical settings, such as dialysis centers, chemotherapy centers, procedure suites — eg, for endoscopy — EDs, and outpatient surgery suites,” Rathore and colleagues wrote. – by Katherine Bortz
Disclosure: The authors report no relevant financial disclosures.
Collapse
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts