Departmental role and scope in infection conrol: Use of a template that meets joint commission requirements

Department specific infection control role and scope is an essential component of providing quality patient care and appropriate health care worker protection. Historically, charts or imprecise narrative descriptions were designed to satisfy the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) surveyor, rather than departmental or customer needs. A combination of JCAHO requirements, needs assessment and customer input resulted in the development of a generic template describing key infection control practices. The template can be modified to meet individual departmental needs