The 2003 CDC HICPAC
Environmental Guidelines address activities associated with the environment that infection prevention and control professionals had not faced when the 1985 guidelines were published , such as animal visits in healthcare facilities .”
At left is the cover of the full-text version of the 2003 EIC guideline ; at right is the cover of the MMWR edition of the 2003 Environmental Infection Control guideline , which was abridged for the sake of space . Images courtesy of Lynne Sehulster , PhD
from catastrophic events such as flooding , sewage spills , loss of electricity and ventilation , and disruption of the water supply , as well as the limited effects of environmental surfaces , laundry , plants , animals , medical wastes , cloth furnishings , and carpeting on disease transmission in healthcare facilities .
This guideline outlined environmental infection control in the healthcare setting , describing measures for preventing infections associated with air , water , and other elements of the environment . It synthesized the views of different divisions within CDC ’ s Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion ( DHQP ) and the Division of Bacterial and Mycotic Diseases ( DBMD ) and reflected the consensus of the Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee ( HICPAC ), a 12-member group that advises CDC on concerns related to the surveillance , prevention , and control of healthcare associated infections ( HAIs ) in U . S . healthcare facilities .
“ The 2003 CDC HICPAC Environmental Guidelines addressed activities associated with the environment that infection prevention and control professionals had not faced when the 1985 guidelines were published , such as animal visits in healthcare facilities ,” explains infection prevention expert Beth H . Stover , who served as an expert reviewer on the EIC guideline . “ It provides a template for healthcare facilities to incorporate into their policies and procedures . The guideline serves as a teaching or learning tool for new infection prevention and control professionals , hospital / healthcare epidemiologists , infectious disease professionals , or others who served as healthcare facilities ’ infection control committee chairs .”
The guidance spans a comprehensive spectrum of healthcare infection prevention-related topics , with key recommendations including :
● infection control impact of ventilation system and water system performance
● establishment of a multidisciplinary team to conduct infection-control risk assessment
● use of dust-control procedures and barriers during construction , repair , renovation , or demolition
● environmental infection-control measures for special care areas with patients at high risk
● use of airborne particle sampling to monitor the effectiveness of air filtration and dust-control measures
● procedures to prevent airborne contamination in operating rooms when infectious tuberculosis [ TB ] patients require surgery
● guidance regarding appropriate indications for routine culturing of water as part of a comprehensive control program for legionellae
● guidance for recovering from water system disruptions , water leaks , and natural disasters
● infection control concepts for equipment that uses water from main lines ( such as water systems for hemodialysis , ice machines , hydrotherapy equipment , dental unit water lines , and automated endoscope reprocessors )
● environmental surface cleaning and disinfection strategies with respect to antibiotic-resistant microorganisms
● infection control procedures for healthcare laundry
● use of animals in healthcare for activities and therapy
● managing the presence of service animals in healthcare facilities
● infection-control strategies for when animals receive treatment in human healthcare facilities
● a call to reinstate the practice of inactivating amplified cultures and stocks of microorganisms on-site during medical waste treatment
Meet the Expert Contributors and Reviewers
In commemoration of the 20 th anniversary of the EIC guideline , let ’ s meet some of the principal contributors and reviewers , as they recall their experiences .
Lynne Sehulster , PhD
Principal content contributor to the 2003 EIC guideline was Lynne Sehulster , PhD , who has a career in public health that spans 36 years , first with the Texas Department of Health in Austin , Texas in their infectious disease and epidemiology section , then joining the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention ( CDC ) in 1996 .
“ It was a name-request move for me ,” Sehulster recalls . “ The hospital infections program wanted me to be a part of their team because the handwashing and hospital environmental control guideline was due for revision , and I had the skillset that they were looking for .”
14 june 2023 • www . healthcarehygienemagazine . com