Basic Infection Control and Prevention Plan for Outpatient Oncology Settings

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Basic Infection Control and Prevention Plan for Outpatient Oncology Settings guideline cover

Download the complete Basic Infection Control and Prevention Plan for Outpatient Oncology Settings pdf icon[PDF – 522 KB] A pocket-sized quick reference guide to the Basic Infection Control and Prevention Plan for Outpatient Oncology Settings pdf icon[PDF – 1.57 MB] is also available to order free of charge from CDC-INFO on Demand – Publications (select “Preventing Infections in Cancer Patients” from the drop-down programs button).

Appendix A.

Example List of Contact Persons and Roles/Responsibilities

Example List of Contact Persons and Roles/Responsibilities
Contact Person(s)a (Names/Titles) Contact Information Roles/Responsibilities
Phone:
Pager:
Email:
  • Infection prevention personnel/consultant
  • Assists with infection control plan development, update/revision, and implementation
    • Including a protocol for transferring patients who require Airborne Precautions (if applicable)
Phone:
Pager:
Email:
  • Educate and train facility staff (including Environmental Services/housekeeping)
  • Assess for competency of jobs/tasks (examples provided):
    • Hand hygiene performance/compliance
    • Proper use of PPE
    • Environmental cleaning/disinfection
    • Triage/screening, taking vital signs
    • Phlebotomy service
  • Determine when to implement enhanced respiratory screening measures
  • Ensure facility sick leave policies are in place and followed
Phone:
Pager:
Email:
  • Collect, manage, and analyze HAI data for surveillance purposes
  • Prepare and distribute surveillance reports
  • Notifies state and local health departments of reportable diseases/conditions and outbreaks
Phone:
Pager:
Email:
  • Provides fit-testing for N-95 respirators (if used in facility) and appropriate respiratory protection training to facility staff
Phone:
Pager:
Email:
  • Assess patients presenting with symptoms of active infection (may be notified by registration staff upon patient arrival)
  • Determine patient placement as needed
Phone:
Pager:
Email:
  • Environmental Services (ES) /housekeeping staff
  • Responsible for (specify tasks, examples provided):
    • Ensure supplies are restocked
    • Daily cleaning of patient-care areas
    • Disinfect bathrooms as needed
    • Cleaning large spills of blood or other potentially infectious materialsb
    • Empty regular trash and dispose regulated waste accordingly
Phone:
Pager:
Email:
  • Clean/disinfect areas and/or surfaces that require more frequent cleaning or are not routinely cleaned by ES/housekeeping staff (specify areas/surfaces and specific situations, examples provided):
    • Medication preparation area after each patient encounter
    • Patient-care devices after each use
    • Exam rooms and/or chemotherapy suite after each patient encounter (e.g., change paper covering exam table, clean chemotherapy chair)
    • Patient-care areas after contamination with body fluids[c]
Phone:
Pager:
Email:
  • Monitor medication/vaccine refrigerator temperature log
  • Ensure alternative storage method is in place in the event of power failure (specify method)

[a] Several roles/tasks may be performed by the same person, e.g., Infection Prevention personnel, or by more than one person.

[b] Cleaning/disinfection of spills of blood or other potentially infectious materials should be assigned to personnel trained to handle such situation; this may include facility staff other than ES/housekeeping staff.

[c] Ensure this task is assigned to personnel who are available to respond in a timely manner; in some facilities, ES/housekeeping staff may be better equipped to handle this type of cleaning/disinfection.

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Appendix B. Reportable Diseases/Conditions

[Insert a list of reportable disease/conditions specific to your state and the appropriate contact information for your local and state health authorities. This information may be found at your state department of health website and/or at the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists State Reportable Conditions Websitesexternal icon

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Appendix C. CDC Infection Prevention Checklist For Outpatient Settings

The Infection Prevention Checklist for Outpatient Settings is a companion to the CDC Guide to Infection Prevention for Outpatient Settings: Minimum Expectations for Safe Care.

There are two sections to the checklist: I) Administration Policies and Facility Practices, and II) Personnel and Patient-Care Observations. For the purpose of evaluating personnel competency and adherence to recommended infection prevention practices, oncology facilities should use Section II of the checklist (i.e, Personnel and Patient-Care Observations) and modify and/or further supplement, as needed, to include specific practices and procedures relevant to their setting. These may include, but are not limited to, assessing personnel adherence to donning appropriate PPE and using aseptic technique (e.g., performing hand hygiene) when accessing central venous catheters.

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Appendix D. Additional Resources

Detailed information about each of the topics below can be found in the accompanying resources.

Page last reviewed: November 9, 2011
Content source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID), Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion (DHQP)