Using the Health Care Physical Environment to Prevent and Control Infection: A Best Practice Guide to Help Health Care Organizations Create Safe, Healing Environments

CDC Cover

By HRET; ASHE; Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology; Society of Hospital Medicine; University of Michigan
Using the Health Care Physical Environment to Prevent and Control Infection: A Best Practice Guide to Help Health Care Organizations Create Safe, Healing Environments contains best practices, case studies, resources and information based on key research. It can be used by health care facility managers, architects, designers, construction professionals, infection preventionists, and anyone else involved in designing, building, and operating health care facilities.

The main document, available as a free PDF download, contains chapters on six key topics:

  • Infection Control Risk Assessments
  • Hand Hygiene Infrastructure
  • Reprocessing
  • Cleaning of Environmental Surfaces
  • Water-Related Environmental Infection Control
  • Flow of Patients, Personnel, Equipment and Waste

 

Access PDF Members and Non-members can download a PDF of the entire digital book
Order print version Catalog number: 055196
Member: $35.00, Nonmember: $35.00

 

Quick Guides

Quick guides on each topic are also available for a free PDF download.

 

Download all Quick Guides

 

icra-100x67.png

Infection Control Risk Assessments

Download Guide

handhygiene-100x67.png

Hand Hygiene Infrastructure

 

Download Guide

reprocessing-100x67.png

Reprocessing

 

Download Guide

 

evs-100x67.png

Cleaning of Environmental Surfaces

Download Guide

water-pipes-100x67.png

Water-Related Environmental Infection Control

Download Guide

patientflow-100x67.png

Flow of Patients, Personnel, Equipment and Waste

Download Guide

Acknowledgements

This publication was prepared for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as part of Contract Number 200 – 2015 – 88275. The project was conducted by the following organizations:

  • The Health Research & Educational Trust of the American Hospital Association
  • American Society for Health Care Engineering (ASHE), a professional membership group of the American Hospital Association
  • Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology
  • Society of Hospital Medicine
  • University of Michigan 

As the lead developer for this document, ASHE would like to recognize the expertise and contributions of the following:

  • Project leader Linda Dickey, RN, MPH, CIC, FAPIC, Senior Director of Quality, Patient Safety & Infection Prevention, University of California Irvine Health
  • Ellen Taylor, PhD, AIA, MBA, EDAC, Vice President of Research, The Center for Health Design
  • Laurie Conway, RN, PhD, CIC, Infection Prevention and Control Nurse; Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox, & Addington Public Health
  • Frank Myers, MA, CIC, Infection Preventionist, University of California-San Diego
  • Dan Bennett, CHESP, T-CHEST, Director of Environmental Services, St. Joseph’s Hospitals, BayCare Health Systems
  • Amy Nichols, RN, MBA, CIC, FAPIC, Director, Hospital Epidemiology and Infection Control, University of California–San Francisco Health
  • Paula Wright, RN, BSN, CIC, Project Manager, Massachusetts General Hospital
  • The Association for the Health Care Environment (AHE), a professional membership group of the American Hospital Association

Additional Resources

ASHE offers additional resources on infection prevention and control, including:

 

Related Resources

Compliance Tools
This water management tool is a gap analysis worksheet to assist facilities in implementing and maintaining a compliant water management program.
Resources
Whether you are working in a clinic or a hospital, technology plays a key role in 21st century health care.
Videos
ASHE has developed videos for clinicians working in a health care setting covering topics such as negative pressure rooms, AIIRs, room turnovers and…
Compliance Tools
This tool is intended to help facilities professionals make good decisions about psychiatric unit toilet room renovations.
On-Demand Educational Webinars
Critical Partnerships that Create Success: Infection Prevention and Facility Management