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Information for Healthcare Providers
The North Carolina program to prevent healthcare-associated infections is part of a larger national effort led by the federal Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee (HICPAC) 
and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) .
- North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services has joined the Safe Injection Practices Coalition (SIPC) One and Only Campaign to raise awareness among patients and healthcare providers about safe injection practices. (PDF, 3.8MB) - Includes injection best practices. - Professional resources provided by the CDC include best practices, a policy toolkit, guides for specific healthcare settings, and information about the U.S. DHHS HAI Action Plan, surveillance systems, CDC Prevention Epicenters and HAI research strategy. - Practical, evidence-based best practices for the elimination of specific infections. Each guide is designed for easy implementation and provides program interventions, surveillance methodology, and strategies for process improvement. - A new (2011), concise infection control guide and checklist specifically for healthcare providers in outpatient care settings such as endoscopy clinics, surgery centers, primary care offices, and pain management clinics. March 9, 2012 / 61(09);157-162. (March 2012) - Includes fact sheet, audio podcast and link to related MMWR. (March 2013) (February 14, 2013) - The first line of contact for disease reporting and intervention. - The Statewide Program for Infection Control and Epidemiology, or SPICE, is located at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill School of Medicine. Funded by the State of North Carolina, SPICE is charged with investigating and controlling healthcare-associated infections (HAI) in hospitals, long-term care facilities, and other medical facilities in the state. The program provides training, education and consultation to hospitals, long-term care facilities and other medical facilities to prevent and control HAI. - A set of strategies published by the Society of Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) and the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) in partnership with APIC, the American Hospital Association, and The Joint Commission. The publication focuses on the six most common healthcare-associated infections: C. difficile, MRSA, central line-associated bloodstream infections, ventilator-associated pneumonia, catheter-associated urinary tract infections and surgical site infections. - The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) provides evidence-based practical guidelines, white papers, and other resources on infection prevention and control for hospitals, long-term care centers, and other healthcare facilities. These documents are published for public download courtesy of SHEA and the University of Chicago Press. They may not be reproduced or used for commercial purposes without written permission from SHEA.
- The Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) provides position statements, definitions, construction issues, environmental services, healthcare worker best practices, drug-resistant organisms, and surveillance tools and practices for different healthcare environments. - Links to information, tools, and resources on healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). AHRQ-funded research and initiatives to reduce HAIs are also highlighted. - Developed by the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) and HealthStream, the Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAI) Elimination Library consists of six courses designed to educate healthcare workers on the appropriate precautions and guidelines to prevent the transmission of infections. Each course has a 30-minute version that is applicable for all healthcare professionals as well as an hour-long version that is approved for one contact hour of continuing nursing education (CNE). - North Carolina-specific materials and activities related to the One and Only Campaign (CDC/SIPC) to raise awareness among patients and healthcare providers about safe injection practices. - Algorithms, sample documents and forms, and regional and facility-level strategies. - Recommendations from the federal advisory committee for preventing and controlling healthcare-associated infections in the form of guidelines, resolutions and informal communications. - Includes links to live education, online education, certification, APIC calendar of events, the APIC text, a professional learning path, free educational brochures, and the APIC bookstore. - A printable list of publications, websites and patient guides. - A computer-based, interactive learning tool developed by U.S. HHS and APIC for clinicians, health professional students and patient advocates. A user assumes the role one of five characters – a physician and hospital administrator, a registered nurse, an infection preventionist, a patient family member or a third-year medical student – and is able to see the outcomes of decisions they make that impact infection health risks. The training is designed and developed for use by groups in facilitated training sessions and by individuals as a self-paced learning tool. - The Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) provides clinical practice guidelines for antimicrobial use, infections by organ system, infections by organism, immunization, and general infection prevention.
