Infection Prevention Program

The Infection Prevention Program keeps track of health care-related infections at UI Hospitals and Clinics and participates in programs to prevent these infections. The data are analyzed to identify trends and help UI Hospitals and Clinics staff improve patient care.

The Infection Prevention Program participates in many of the disaster preparation plans for UI Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa, and the nation. Areas of emphasis include pandemic influenza.

Infection Prevention

• Nosocomial Infection Surveillance
• Resistant Organism Incidence Surveillance: Staff members review laboratory data to identify new cases of infection from antibiotic-resistant organisms
• Process Observation: Infection prevention staff members watch how well caregivers comply with safe practices like hand washing and isolation precautions
• Exposure to Infectious Disease: Staff members work with the employee health program and other departments to identify persons exposed to infections and to prevent infections from spreading
• Construction and Facility Inspection: UI Hospitals and Clinics plans all its construction and renovation projects to ensure that new or remodeled areas meet infection control requirements and that these projects do not increase the risk that patients might become infected
• Policy Generation—Staff members help hospital departments create policies to help prevent the spread of infections. 
• Training—UI Hospitals and Clinics provides infection control training programs for health care workers from Iowa and elsewhere around the nation and world. 

Nosocomial Infection Surveillance

Using Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) definitions, the infections monitored include:

• Bloodstream infections and central venous catheter-related bloodstream infections
• Gastroenteritis
• Pneumonia and ventilator-associated pneumonia
• Surgical site infections by procedure
• Burn wound infections