A thumbnail sketch of new CDC infection control plans

A new mission for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s hospital infections program was outlined recently by Julie Gerberding, MD, MPH, director of the program. Highlights of her vision of the program, as outlined to members of the CDC Hospital Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee (HICPAC), include the following areas of emphasis:

What: Infections acquired and transmitted in the health care delivery system among health care workers and their patients

Who: Target patients and populations include the elderly, immunosuppressed, organ transplant, HIV/AIDS, dialysis, diabetes, alcohol/substance abuse, chronic illness

Where: Domestic and international target venues in the health care delivery system including acute care facilities, skilled nursing facilities, long-term care, home health care, managed care organizations, public health departments

How: Together with partners (i.e., APIC, SHEA, managed care organizations), provide science-based "prevention products" (i.e. surveillance, outbreak investigations, guidelines) to "customers" (i.e. ICPs, administrators) in the health care delivery system

Why: Improve health care outcomes. Preventing health care-associated infections is a public health issue

Priority Goals: Enhance our customers’ infection prevention efforts. Assess customer needs, expand prevention product line, and improve customer service

• Consistent with the CDC emerging infections plan, establish key program objective and implement new activities in target areas:

— prudent antibiotic use/emerging antimicrobial resistance

— vulnerable patient populations in health care settings (domestic and international)

— bioterrorism

• Provide a scientific basis for new prevention and control activities:

— in conjunction with customers and partners, develop a collaborative applied research agenda

— expand the Centers of Excellence (Prevention Epicenters) extramural research program

— expand HIP’s intramural applied research activities

Areas for expanded activities: Emerging antimicrobial-resistant infections, emerging infections in special populations, emerging infections in developing countries, bioterrorism preparedness and response, and bloodborne pathogens/blood safety.