Infection Control in the Gastroenterology Office Setting
Louis J. Wilson, MD, FACG; John R. Lonks, MD; and Robert McBroom, MD for the ACG Practice Management Committee
Preventing the spread of infection is an important part of medical practice in all health care settings. Gastroenterologists, like all health care providers, must take responsibility for preventing transmission of infectious disease in their outpatient offices.
This new white paper from the ACG Practice Management Committee outlines basic principles of infection prevention as applied to the gastroenterologist’s medical office, including standard precautions, basic principles of office space utilization, and patient education about the prevention of infection. The paper also provides background for specific written infection control policies for medical practices including employee health and vaccination policy, OSHA standards and procedures, and comprehensive waste management.