The American Academy of Pediatrics published a new policy statement on Monday to improve infection control practices in the pediatric ambulatory setting.
The statement appears in the October edition of the journal Pediatrics. Here are five key takeaways.
1. While many of the recommendations listed in the statement are aligned with standard infection control practices, such as engaging in hand hygiene before patient interactions, new advice listed in the statement includes recommending parents bring their child's personal toys to the waiting room to avoid infection transmission related to toy sharing.
2. Infection prevention recommendations also include separating sick children from healthy children in the waiting area whenever possible and promptly triaging children with compromised immune systems.
3. Written infection prevention and control protocols should be developed, documented, made available to all staff and reviewed every two years.
4. Staff should be required to receive vaccination for influenza every flu season.
5. Policies should be developed for communication practices with local and state health officials regarding possible outbreaks and disease reporting.
To read the full policy statement, click here.
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