HICC.pdf

Hospital infection control committee

1. TheHospitalInfectionControlCommittee(HICC)playsacrucialroleinensuringthesafetyof
patients,healthcareworkers,andvisitorsbypreventingandmanaginginfectionswithin
healthcarefacilities.
HICCCORECOMMITTEE
ThecompositionofaHospitalInfectionControlCommittee(HICC)canvarydependingonthe
sizeandtypeofthehealthcarefacilityandthespecificneedsoftheinstitution.However,a
typicalHICCmayincludethefollowingkeymembers:
InfectionControlPractitioner(ICP):Thisindividualisusuallyaregisterednurseorother
healthcareprofessionalwithspecializedtrainingininfectioncontrol.TheICPoftenservesasthe
chairorcoordinatorofthecommitteeandisresponsibleforday-to-dayinfectioncontrol
activities.
InfectiousDiseasePhysician:Aspecialistininfectiousdiseasesprovidesmedicalexpertiseand
guidanceonmanaginginfectiousoutbreaksandcomplexcases.
MicrobiologistorClinicalLaboratoryRepresentative:Amicrobiologistorlabexpertcontributes
knowledgeaboutlaboratoryprocedures,testing,andinterpretingcultureresults.
HospitalEpidemiologist:Somelargerhealthcarefacilitieshaveadedicatedhospital
epidemiologistwhoisresponsibleforoverseeinginfectioncontroleffortsandresearch.
NursingRepresentative:Anursefromarelevantdepartment,suchascriticalcareorsurgery,
bringsfrontlineexperienceandperspectivestothecommittee.
Pharmacist:Apharmacistwithexpertiseinantimicrobialmedicationsmaybepartofthe
committee,particularlyforissuesrelatedtoantibioticstewardship.
EnvironmentalServicesRepresentative:Thisindividualcanprovideinsightsintocleaningand
disinfectionpracticeswithinthehospital.
QualityImprovementSpecialist:Someonewithexperienceinqualityimprovement
methodologieshelpsensurethatinfectioncontrolpracticesalignwithhospitalquality
improvementgoals.
AdministrativeRepresentative:Ahospitaladministratorormanagermayparticipatetoallocate
resources,supportpolicyimplementation,andensurealignmentwiththehospital'soverall
mission.

2. PatientSafetyOfficer:Thisrolefocusesonpatientsafetyandcancollaboratewiththecommittee
toaddressinfection-relatedissuesfromasafetyperspective.
NurseEducator:Responsibleforeducatingandtraininghealthcarestaffoninfectioncontrol
practices.
EmergencyPreparednessCoordinator:Infacilitieswithastrongemphasisonpreparedness,this
roleensuresthehospitalisreadytorespondtoinfectiousdiseaseemergencies.
PublicHealthRepresentative:Collaborationwithlocalorstatepublichealthagenciesmaybe
necessaryforreportingandmanagingcommunicablediseases.
QualityAssuranceOfficer:Thisrolemayoverlapwiththequalityimprovementspecialist,
focusingonmaintainingandimprovinginfectioncontrolprocesses.
AdditionalExperts:Dependingonspecificneeds,thecommitteemayinviteotherspecialistsor
consultants,suchasepidemiologists,respiratorytherapists,oroccupationalhealthexperts.
It'simportanttonotethatthecompositionoftheHICCcanbeflexible,andthecommitteemay
conveneadditionalmembersorexpertsasneededtoaddressspecificinfectioncontrolchallenges
orsituations.Thekeyistohaveamultidisciplinaryteamwiththeexpertiseandauthorityto
addressallaspectsofinfectioncontrolwithinthehospital.
FunctionsofHICC
PolicyDevelopment:HICCisresponsiblefordevelopingandimplementinginfectioncontrol
policiesandprocedurestopreventthespreadofinfectionswithinthehospital.
EducationandTraining:Theyprovideeducationandtrainingtohealthcarestaffoninfection
controlpractices,includinghandhygiene,useofpersonalprotectiveequipment,andproper
disinfectiontechniques.
Surveillance:HICCmonitorsandcollectsdataonhealthcare-associatedinfections(HAIs)within
thehospital.Theyanalyzetrendsandpatternstoidentifypotentialoutbreaksandareasfor
improvement.
OutbreakManagement:Whenoutbreaksoccur,thecommitteeleadseffortstoinvestigatethe
source,implementcontrolmeasures,andcommunicatewithrelevantstakeholders.
InfectionPreventionPrograms:Theyestablishandoverseeinfectionpreventionprograms,such
asvaccinationcampaigns,antimicrobialstewardship,andenvironmentalcleaningprotocols.
ComplianceMonitoring:HICCensuresthathealthcareworkersadheretoinfectioncontrol
protocolsandconductsauditsandassessmentstoassesscompliance.

3. ResourceAllocation:Theyallocateresources,suchasfundingforinfectioncontrolequipment
andsupplies,tosupporteffectivepreventionefforts.
Collaboration:Thecommitteecollaborateswithotherhospitaldepartmentsandexternalagencies
tocoordinateinfectioncontroleffortsandshareinformationonemerginginfectiousdiseases.
PatientSafety:Ensuringpatientsafetyisaprimaryresponsibility,includingimplementing
isolationprecautionswhennecessaryandprovidinginformationtopatientsandtheirfamilies
aboutinfectionpreventionmeasures.
QualityImprovement:Theycontinuouslyassessandimproveinfectioncontrolpracticesbased
onevidence-basedguidelinesandbestpractices.
ResearchandInnovation:HICCmayengageinresearchtodevelopandevaluatenewinfection
controlstrategiesandtechnologies.
Communication:Theycommunicateinfectioncontrolinformationtoallrelevantstakeholders,
includinghealthcareworkers,patients,andthepublic.
EmergencyPreparedness:HICCplansforinfectiousdiseaseemergencies,suchaspandemicsor
bioterrorismevents,toensurethehospital'sreadinessandresponsecapabilities.
Documentation:Properdocumentationofinfectioncontrolactivities,includingsurveillancedata
andpolicyupdates,isessentialforaccountabilityandcompliancewithregulations.
RegulatoryCompliance:Theyensurecompliancewithlocal,state,andnationalinfectioncontrol
regulationsandguidelines.
Insummary,theHospitalInfectionControlCommitteeplaysavitalroleinsafeguardingpublic
healthwithinhealthcaresettingsbydevelopingandimplementinginfectioncontrolmeasures,
educatinghealthcareworkers,monitoringandrespondingtoinfections,andcontinuously
improvingpracticestoreducetheriskofhealthcare-associatedinfections.