Healthcare Provider and Facility Operational Considerations

About

An introduction to operational considerations to help contain and prevent COVID-19 in healthcare facilities in non-U.S. settings

World map showing disease spread through interconnected dots

Introduction

Keep in mind‎

The resources on this page were created for healthcare facilities with limited resources (such as staff shortages and supply shortages), particularly in low- and middle-income countries.

CDC works closely with the World Health Organization (WHO) and other partners to assist countries to prepare for and respond to infectious diseases threats in healthcare settings, including COVID-19. CDC routinely provides technical assistance to ministries of health and subnational and international partners on pandemic preparedness and response.

To facilitate implementation of WHO COVID-19 technical guidance on infection prevention and control (IPC) activities for countries (updated December 21, 2023), CDC has developed operational considerations to help contain and prevent COVID-19 in healthcare facilities in non-U.S. settings. The operational considerations below continue to be applicable to re-emergence of COVID-19 or other respiratory pathogens that are epidemic- or pandemic-prone.

Strategic IPC priorities for containing COVID-19 in non-U.S. healthcare settings

IPC is an essential component of safe health care delivery. During infectious disease outbreaks, IPC should be focused on priority activities aimed at stopping the spread of the outbreak within healthcare facilities and maintaining essential services. To do this, healthcare systems must focus on three priority activity areas:

  • Triage of patients upon initial encounter at a healthcare facility.
  • Limiting the entry of healthcare workers and visitors with suspected COVID-19.
  • Identification and isolation of inpatients with suspected COVID-19.

Procedures and operational considerations

IPC global webinar series: Practical IPC considerations in the fight against COVID-19

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) and Project ECHO, held 19 global webinar sessions from May to December 2020 to inform and assist attendees with implementation of recommended practices in healthcare settings.

In these webinars, speakers from CDC, WHO, Ministries of Health, UNICEF, and IPC professional societies around the world discussed practical advice and implementation considerations for IPC in the context of COVID-19 addressing a variety of topics relevant to healthcare settings. Translations of all 19 sessions are available in Arabic, French, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish.

Access session recordings and topics for the webinar series.

Print
Content Source:
National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD)