Infection control

The Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) in collaboration with the American Association of Post-Acute Care Nursing (AAPACN), has released a practice guidance tool and resource guide to help healthcare personnel in skilled long-term care facilities implement enhanced barrier precautions (EBP).

In March of 2024, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued new guidance for skilled nursing facilities on the use of EBP to help prevent infections. EBP involves the use of personal protective equipment (PPE), specifically gowns and gloves, during high-contact resident care activities, such as assistance with bathing, dressing, or toileting. These measures are used specifically in the skilled long-term care setting to allow for flexibility in the care of residents while also minimizing the risk of transmission of multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs).

“Given that the CMS requirements are relatively new and there is some ambiguity regarding their implementation, we believe it is important to provide clarity for healthcare workers,” said APIC CEO Devin Jopp, EdD. “The new tools from APIC and AAPACN are intended to assist healthcare professionals in carrying out the new EBP requirement, with the goal of safeguarding nursing home residents from infection.”

The practice guidance tool outlines when EBP should be implemented for residents, provides infection control recommendations for routine care activities, and includes case study examples with a self-quiz to help reinforce learning. The resource guide provides a comprehensive list of infection control websites and references. Both tools are available free from the APIC website.

More APIC resources for healthcare professionals working in long-term care are available, including LTC Certification; LTC Essentials Training; the APIC Text, a comprehensive, 125-chapter, infection prevention and control (IPC) reference reflecting the latest guidance in the field; and PolicyPro, which includes customizable IPC policy templates developed by infection prevention and regulatory experts.