Summary of Recommendations

Below are tables summarizing the recommendations in this document.

1. Leadership and Management

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For healthcare organization leaders and administrators

Invest in an organizational culture that prioritizes safety and occupational infection prevention and control.

Regularly review organizational information about occupational infectious risks, exposures, and illnesses with occupational health services.

Dedicate one or more persons with appropriate authority and training to lead occupational infection prevention and control services.

Provide sufficient resources (e.g., expertise, funding, staff, supplies, information technology) to implement elements of occupational infection prevention and control:
• Leadership and management,
• Communication and collaboration,
• Assessment and reduction of risks for infection among healthcare personnel populations,
• Medical evaluations,
• Occupational infection prevention and control education and training,
• Immunization programs,
• Management of potentially infectious exposures and illnesses, and
• Management of healthcare personnel health records.

Oversee, and include occupational health services leaders in, performance measurement and continuous quality improvement activities for occupational infection prevention and control services.

For occupational health services leaders and staff

Promote an organizational culture with a consistent focus on safety and occupational infection prevention and control.

Develop occupational infection prevention and control services that are tailored to the needs of healthcare personnel and the environment in which they work.

Develop, review, and update when necessary, written policies and procedures that adhere to federal, state, and local requirements for elements of occupational infection prevention and control services:
• Leadership and management,
• Communication and collaboration,
• Assessment and reduction of risks for infection among healthcare personnel populations,
• Medical evaluations,
• Occupational infection prevention and control education and training,
• Immunization programs,
• Management of potentially infectious exposures and illnesses, and
• Management of healthcare personnel health records.

Inform all healthcare personnel and relevant healthcare organization departments about occupational infection prevention and control policies and procedures.

Develop and monitor performance measures for occupational infection prevention and control services that include the proportion of healthcare personnel with documented evidence of immunity and the proportion of healthcare personnel vaccinated, as appropriate, for each vaccine-preventable disease recommended for healthcare personnel by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP).

Set and meet quality improvement goals for occupational infection prevention and control services and report performance measures and areas for improvement to management.