Guidelines Issued for Infection Control in Acute Care Hospitals

Several professional groups, including the Infectious Diseases Society of America, have together issued guidelines for the prevention of healthcare-associated infections in acute care hospitals.

The recommendations, published online in Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, target four device- and procedure-related categories:

• central line-associated bloodstream infections;

• ventilator-associated pneumonia;

• catheter-associated urinary tract infections;

• surgical-site infections.

Two organism-specific categories are also addressed:

• methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus;

• Clostridium difficile.

Richard Umbdenstock, president of the American Hospital Association, called the recommendations the first "professional consensus" on reducing infection, according to the New York Times. He added: "As of today, the nation's infection control team has a common playbook."