The facility management must establish and maintain an infection control program designed to provide a safe, sanitary, and comfortable environment and to help prevent the development and transmission of disease and infection.

(a) Infection control program. The facility management must establish an infection control program under which it—

(1) Investigates, controls, and prevents infections in the facility;

(2) Decides what procedures, such as isolation, should be applied to an individual resident; and

(3) Maintains a record of incidents and corrective actions related to infections.

(b) Preventing spread of infection.

(1) When the infection control program determines that a resident needs isolation to prevent the spread of infection, the facility management must isolate the resident.

(2) The facility management must prohibit employees with a communicable disease or infected skin lesions from engaging in any contact with residents or their environment that would transmit the disease.

(3) The facility management must require staff to wash their hands after each direct resident contact for which hand washing is indicated by accepted professional practice.

(c) Linens. Personnel must handle, store, process, and transport linens so as to prevent the spread of infection.

(The Office of Management and Budget has approved the information collection requirements in this section under control number 2900-0160)

(Authority: 38 U.S.C. 101, 501, 1710, 1741-1743)

[65 FR 968, Jan. 6, 2000, as amended at 74 FR 19434, Apr. 29, 2009]