Infection control for long term care

Nosocomial infections are the major source of morbidity and mortality in long term care facilities, with an estimated 1.5 million infections occurring annually in the U.S., according to Nursing Homes magazine.

Senior care facilities have a legal and moral obligation to minimize the risk of infections to their residents and staff, but many facilities lack experienced infection control personnel and procedures.

Facilities must have a program that detects, prevents, controls and reports infections, which address such areas as food handling, laundry, waste disposal, employee health, pest control, visitation and safety.

Two of the most important components of an infection control plan are employee and resident health programs. An active employee health program prevents employees from spreading infections to patients and prevents employees from contracting infections at work. A resident health program covers issues such as resident hygiene, skin care, TB screening and immunization for pneumococcal pneumonia and influenza.

For more information, see http://www.nursinghomesmagazine.com/Current_Issue.htm?CD=983&ID=5082