Infection Control Resources

On this page:
Hand Hygiene
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
Respiratory and Cough Etiquette
Dialysis Infection Prevention and Kidney Care
Injection Safety and Point of Care Testing
Prevention of Catheter-associated Urinary Tract Infection (CAUTI)
Prevention of Central Line-associated Bloodstream Infection (CLABSI)
Prevention of Surgical Site Infection (SSI)
Prevention of Ventilator-associated Pneumonia (VAP)
Surveillance and Disease Reporting
Antibiotic Stewardship
Environmental Cleaning
Device Reprocessing
Resources for Other Common Topics

Hand Hygiene

• Hand Hygiene
  Proper hand hygiene may eliminate nearly half of all cases of foodborne illness and significantly reduce the spread of the common cold and flu.
  Soap and Water | Hand Sanitizer | Choosing and Using Soap | Why and When | Teaching Hand Hygiene | For Schools and Child Care | For Food Handlers | For Health Care Professionals | Posters and Print Materials
   
• CDC: Hand Hygiene in Healthcare Settings
  When and how to practice hand hygiene, clean hands count campaign, and other resources you can use.
• WHO: Clean Care is Safer Care
  Save Lives: Clean Your Hands - WHO's global annual call to action for health workers; includes tools and resources you can use.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for Infection Control
  PPE is specialized clothing or equipment worn to protect against infectious organisms.
  Components | Guidelines and Resources | Obtaining a Disposable Kit
   
• CDC: Guideline for Isolation Precautions: Preventing Transmission of Infectious Agents in Healthcare Settings (2007)
  Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee (HICPAC) guidelines.
• CDC: Healthcare-associated Infections (HAIs): Protecting Healthcare Personnel
  Guidance for the Selection and Use of Personal Protective Equipment in Healthcare Settings.
• CDC: Management of Multidrug-Resistant Organisms In Healthcare Settings, 2006
  Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee (HICPAC) guidelines.

Respiratory and Cough Etiquette

• Cover Your Cough
  Stop the spread of germs that make you and others sick: Cover Your Cough
  Frequently Asked Questions about Respiratory Etiquette | About Using Materials


• CDC: Respiratory Hygiene and Cough Etiquette in Healthcare Settings
  Infection control measures that should be implemented at the first point of contact with a potentially infected person. 
  • CDC: Influenza: Infection Control in Health Care Facilities 
    Recommendations for preventing the spread of influenza.
  • CDC: Influenza: A Toolkit for Long-Term Care Employers
    This toolkit resources intended to provide access to influenza vaccination and to help understand the importance of influenza vaccination.

Dialysis Infection Prevention and Kidney Care

• Hemodialysis Catheter Care Tip Sheet (PDF)
  Intended for long-term care facilities, this tip sheet lists important "do's and don'ts" for catheter care and outlines situations that require a response from caregivers.
• Hemodialysis Fistula or Graft Care Tip Sheet (PDF)
  Intended for long-term care facilities, this tip sheet lists important "do's and don'ts" for fistula or graft care and outlines situations that require a response from caregivers.
• CDC: Infection Prevention and Control Assessment Tool for Hemodialysis Facilities (PDF)
  This tool is intended to assist in the assessment of infection control programs and practices in dialysis facilities.
• CDC: Making Dialysis Safer for Patients Coalition
  The Making Dialysis Safer for Patients Coalition is a partnership of organizations and individuals that have joined forces with the common goal of promoting the use of CDC's core interventions and resources to prevent dialysis bloodstream infections.
  • CDC Dialysis Safety Resource Center
    The Coalition has created posters, checklists and fact sheets for use in provider’s offices, dialysis clinics, training sessions, and work areas.
• Midwest Kidney Network Resources for Facilities
  The Midwest Kidney Network develops clinical tools and resources to help improve quality of care for patients with kidney disease.

Injection Safety and Point of Care Testing

• Injection Safety
  Injection safety, or safe injection practices, refers to the measures taken to perform injections in the safest manner possible for patients, health care providers, and others.

Prevention of Catheter-associated Urinary Tract Infection (CAUTI)

• CDC: Guideline for Prevention of Catheter-associated Urinary Tract Infections, 2009
  Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee (HICPAC) guidelines.

Prevention of Central Line-associated Bloodstream Infection (CLABSI)

• CDC: Guideline for Prevention of Intravascular Catheter-related Infections, 2011
  Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee (HICPAC) guidelines.
• CDC: Guidelines for Preventing Healthcare-associated Pneumonia, 2003
  Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee (HICPAC) guidelines.

Prevention of Surgical Site Infection (SSI)

• CDC: Guideline for the Prevention of Surgical Site Infection
  Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee (HICPAC) guidelines.

Prevention of Ventilator-associated Pneumonia (VAP)

• CDC: Healthcare-associated Infections (HAIs): Ventilator-associated Pneumonia (VAP)
  CDC Guidelines and tools to help prevent and control multi drug resistant organisms.

Surveillance and Disease Reporting

• Reportable Disease Rule (Communicable Disease Reporting)
  Information about Minnesota's communicable disease reporting rule, including what must be reported for each disease, criteria for reporting, and clinical specimen submission guidelines.
   
• CDC: National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN)
  NHSN is the nation's most widely used healthcare-associated infection tracking system.

Antibiotic Stewardship

• Antimicrobial Resistance and Stewardship
  Information about antimicrobial use and resistance.
  Antimicrobial Use and Resistance Basics | Minnesota Antibiotic Stewardship Data | Antibiotics and Environmental Health | For Health Professionals | For Animal Health Professionals | For Educators


• CDC: Responding to New Forms of Antibiotic Resistance (PDF)
  CDC Guidelines and tools to help prevent and control multi drug resistant organisms.

C. difficile

• Clostridium difficile Guidelines and References
  C. difficile guidelines and references, including SHEA-IDSA guidelines for acute care, adults, and listing of disinfectant products with sporicidal activity against C. difficile.

Environmental Cleaning

• CDC: Guidelines for Environmental Infection Control in Health-Care Facilities (PDF)
  Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee (HICPAC) guidelines.
• CDC: Healthcare-associated Infections (HAIs): Options for Evaluating Environmental Cleaning
  Options for evaluating environmental infection control.

Device Reprocessing

• Guideline for Disinfection and Sterilization in Healthcare Facilities, 2008
  Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee (HICPAC) guidelines.
• FDA: Summary of the Medical Device User Fee and Modernization Act of 2002, Reprocessed Single-Use Medical Devices
  FDA regulations on reprocessing of single-use devices.

Resources for Other Common Topics

Wound Care

• Wound Care Infection Prevention Recommendations for Long-Term Care Facilities (PDF)
  Wound care treatments and services provided in the long-term care setting can entail complex procedures utilizing a wide array of products and/or equipment. These recommendations are designed to assist long-term care facilities with general principles and are not all-inclusive.
• ICAR Infection Prevention Audit Tools
  Includes wound care audit tracking tool and wound dressing change observation tool used to conduct audits, record and analyze data, and develop an action plan.
• Wound care webinar recorded on April 20, 2023
  
  • Slides: Key Infection Prevention Principles During Wound Care (PDF)
  • Key Infection Prevention Principles During Wound Care Transcript (PDF)

Pneumococcal Vaccination

• Pneumococcal Information for Health Professionals

Influenza

• Influenza Information for Health Professionals
• Influenza Information for Long-Term Care facilities

Hepatitis B

• Hepatitis B Information for Health Professionals

Tuberculosis

• Tuberculosis Information for Health Professionals