New tools available for infection control

The Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have made available free, downloadable Quick Observation Tools for infection control. These tools are designed to help health care facilities quickly identify infection prevention deficiencies and take corrective action in real time to protect patients from health care-associated infections.

The tools include a set of ready-to-use quick assessment forms or “cards” that enable frontline health care personnel to do infection prevention checks at the patient-care level in a matter of minutes to identify, investigate and remediate deficiencies.