APIC Publishes New Guide for Infection Prevention in LTC Facilities

To help long-term care facilities create and implement comprehensive infection prevention programs, the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) has published the Infection Preventionists Guide to Long-Term Care.

Infection preventionists in long-term care facilities (LTCF) face unique challenges due to the nature of the care setting and its aging resident population. An estimated 1.5 million infections occur annually in LTCF, resulting in 350,000 to 400,000 deaths.

APIC is committed to increasing educational resources for long-term care to advance knowledge and competencies of healthcare personnel working in this setting, and for the benefit of the residents under their care, says Katrina Crist, MBA, APIC CEO. With more than 15,000 long-term care facilities in the United States, and a national priority to prevent healthcare-associated infections, APICs new book guides LTCFs through the essential components of an evidence-based infection prevention program.

The Infection Preventionists Guide to Long-Term Care is accompanied by a CD-ROM with customizable forms, tools, and resources. Developed by a team of infection prevention experts, the book presents topic-specific information in a user-friendly format that includes numerous examples, visuals, checklists, and references to help increase the understanding of:

  Regulatory requirements

 Comprehensive infection prevention risk assessment and program development

 Surveillance and reporting

 Nursing assessment and interventions to prevent the most commonly occurring infections in long-term care

 Environmental cleaning and disinfection

 Unique long-term care issues such as care transitions and life enrichment activities

 Occupational health, immunization programs, and staff education

 Disaster and pandemic preparedness

Source: APIC