S.C. Code Regs. § § 61-16.1801

Current through Register Vol. 48, 12, December 27, 2024

Section 61-16.1801 - General

A. The hospital shall provide a safe and healthy environment that minimizes infection exposure and risk to patients, employees, health care workers, volunteers and visitors. The hospital shall implement and maintain a written, effective, organized, active, hospital-wide program for the surveillance, prevention, control, and investigation of infections, infectious agents and communicable diseases, with the goal of implementing best practices and continuously reducing infections. The infection prevention and control program must be implemented in a manner that minimizes the risk of health care associated infections. The hospital must designate a qualified employee as the hospital's Infection Practitioner, whose function is to administer the infection prevention and control program. The Infection Practitioner must be provided with the resources and assistance necessary to carry out the activities of the infection prevention and control program. Each hospital must assess the time requirement needed for surveillance and infection prevention activities at each of its locations and provide sufficient staffing to meet the organization's assessed needs.

B. Hospital policies and procedures for infection prevention and control shall comply with Federal and State laws and regulations and shall reference guidelines, including but not limited to, the following:

1. Bloodborne Pathogens Standard of the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) of 1970; 29 CFR 1910 Occupational Safety and Health Standards with emphasis on compliance with 29 CFR 1910-1030 (Bloodborne Pathogens);

2. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Immunization of Health-Care Workers: Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) and the Hospital Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee (HICPIC);

3. CDC's Guideline for Hand Hygiene in Health-Care Settings and/or the World Health Organization's Moments of Hand Hygiene Guidelines;

4. CDC's Guidelines for Environmental Infection Control in Health-Care Facilities;

5. CDC's Guideline for Disinfection and Sterilization in Healthcare Facilities;

6. CDC's Guidelines for the Management of Multidrug-Resistant Organisms In Healthcare Settings;

7. Regulation 61-105;

8. CDC's Guideline for Isolation Precautions: Preventing Transmission of Infectious Agents in Healthcare Settings; and

9. CDC's Guidelines for Preventing the Transmission of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Health-Care Settings, 2005.

C. The hospital must comply with and demonstrate compliance with this regulation as well as their own policies and procedures.

S.C. Code Regs. § 61-16.1801

Replaced and amended by State Register Volume 38, Issue No. 6, eff 6/27/2014; State Register Volume 48, Issue No. 06, eff. 6/28/2024.