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Central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI) are a target of safety improvement initiatives, as they are common and harmful. This guideline provides an update on recommended steps for organizations to support the implementation of CLASBI reduction efforts.

This policy brief presents the American Geriatric Society’s recommendations for caring for patients with COVID-19 in nursing homes and long-term care facilities. Recommendations focus on the production and distribution of personal protective equipment (PPE), patient transfer between hospitals and nursing homes, public health planning, workforce issues, and payment and tax relief for nursing homes. The brief reflects federal guidance as of April 4, 2020.

This expert guidance provides recommendations to help health care facilities develop policies for preventing health care–associated infections in the operating room. The authors build on existing anesthesia safety practices to outline specific actions for infection prevention and control.

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a preventable condition that can contribute to maternal harm. This expert commentary introduces a four-part strategy that focuses on standardization to help recognize and respond to VTE. The authors discuss the importance of reporting mechanisms to help health care organizations learn from events.

Improper injection practices associated with point-of-care testing and treatment can contribute to the spread of health care–associated infections. This position paper outlines how clinicians and infection preventionists can reduce unsafe behaviors with surveillance, oversight, enforcement, individual skills development, and professional accountability.

This expert guidance provides recommendations to help hospitals develop policies to reduce the spread of health care–associated infections by individuals visiting patients in isolation. The authors discuss contact precautions and outline specific conditions where these suggestions should be employed.

Hand hygiene adherence is a key target for improving patient safety. This guideline offers an overview of evidence-based strategies to monitor and promote hand hygiene, including resources developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization's "5 moments" program. The authors provide detailed practice recommendations to increase hand hygiene compliance as a way to reduce health care–associated infections. The guideline is one of the 2014 infection control compendium updates published in the journal.

The Joint Commission has issued a sentinel event alert regarding infections caused by the misuse of vials, prompted by at least 49 outbreaks related to this problem since 2001. The reuse of single-dose vials has resulted in documented transmission of bacteria and hepatitis B and C viruses. Most outbreaks occurred in hospitals, but a large number of cases also came from outpatient pain management and cancer clinics. More than 150,000 patients required notification and further testing due to concern of potential exposure to unsafe injections. This alert outlines recommendations and potential strategies for improvement, including resources related to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) One & Only Campaign, which promotes using "one needle, one syringe, only one time." The report also emphasizes teaching safe practices and establishing safety culture. CDC has previously issued guidelines on appropriate use of single-dose vials.

This guideline details strategies to ensure care teams in obstetrics and gynecology are prepared to safely manage emergencies. Recommendations include incident debriefings, early warning systems, rapid response systems, and structured communication tools.

Public reporting of health care–associated infection rates serves as a key measure for quality in hospitals. This commentary reveals limitations to using these metrics, such as variation in definitions, and outlines standards to guide the collection and utilization of surveillance data.