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cover story
Isolation Precautions Guidance Undergoing Significant Revision for 2024 , as Preventing Transmission of Pathogens Comes Into Sharper Focus
By Kelly M . Pyrek
Even as the healthcare sector continues to re-examine transmission-based precautions considering the clinical , fiscal and operational fall-out from the COVID pandemic , one agency is taking on an update of 16-year-old isolation precautions and are poised to identify transmission modes as either air or touch , rather than aerosol , droplet or contact .
In its early November 2023 meeting , the Isolation Precautions workgroup of the Healthcare Infection Control Advisory Committee ( HICPAC ) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ) presented a revised draft document and members voted unanimously to approve all sections of Part 1 of the workgroup ’ s recommendations to update the 2007 Guideline for Isolation Precautions : Preventing Transmission of Infectious Agents in Healthcare Settings . The revised guideline is now called the 2024 Guideline to Prevent Transmission of Pathogens in Healthcare Settings .
HICPAC , a federal advisory committee , weighs scientific literature , expert opinion and public discussion to inform their recommendations to CDC . Consisting of physician and nursing experts from infection prevention and control fields who work outside of CDC , the HICPAC process allows for wide-ranging input while reducing concerns about potential conflicts of interest . Members and liaisons represent expertise across the continuum of care . These experts bring relevant healthcare and patient safety expertise from their experience working in local hospitals , public health departments ,
14 december 2023 • www . healthcarehygienemagazine . com