The purpose of this section is to identify and reduce the risk of acquiring and transmitting infections and communicable diseases between patients, employees, medical staff, volunteers, and visitors.

Hospitals must:

(1) Develop, implement and maintain a written infection control and surveillance program;

(2) Designate staff to:

(a) Manage the activities of the infection control program;

(b) Assure the infection control program conforms with patient care and safety policies and procedures; and

(c) Provide consultation on the infection control program, policies and procedures throughout the entire facility;

(3) Ensure staff managing the infection control program have:

(a) A minimum of two years experience in a health related field; and

(b) Training in the principles and practices of infection control;

(4) Develop and implement infection control policies and procedures consistent with the guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other nationally recognized professional bodies or organizations;

(5) Assure the infection control policies and procedures address, but are not limited to the following:

(a) Routine surveillance, outbreak investigations and interventions including pathogen distributions and antimicrobial susceptibility profiles consistent with the 2006 CDC Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee Guideline, Management of Multidrug-Resistant Organisms in Healthcare Settings;

(b) Patient care practices in all clinical care areas;

(c) Receipt, use, disposal, processing, or reuse of equipment to prevent disease transmission;

(d) Preventing cross contamination of soiled and clean items during sorting, processing, transporting, and storage;

(e) Environmental management and housekeeping functions;

(f) Approving and properly using disinfectants, equipment, and sanitation procedures;

(g) Cleaning areas used for surgical procedures before, between, and after use;

(h) Hospital-wide daily and periodic cleaning;

(i) Occupational health consistent with current practice;

(j) Attire;

(k) Traffic patterns;

(l) Antisepsis;

(m) Handwashing;

(n) Scrub technique and surgical preparation;

(o) Biohazardous waste management according to applicable federal, state, and local regulations;

(p) Barrier and transmission precautions; and

(q) Pharmacy and therapeutics;

(6) Establish and implement a plan for:

(a) Reporting communicable diseases according to chapter 246-100 WAC; and

(b) Surveying and investigating communicable disease occurrences in the hospital consistent with WAC 246-320-171;

(7) Hospitals may develop and implement infection control policies and procedures specific to a patient care area.