Infection Control Assessment Tools
ICAR: Infection Control Assessment and Response Program
IP: Infection Prevention
Healthcare Personnel IP Competency: The proven ability to apply essential knowledge, skills, and abilities to prevent the transmission of pathogens during the provision of care.
Healthcare Personnel IP Competency-Based Training: The provision of job-specific education, training, and assessment to ensure that healthcare personnel possess IP competency.
Competency Assessment: The verification of IP competency through the use of knowledge-based testing and direct observation. If direct observation is not included as part of a competency assessment, an alternative method to ensure that healthcare personnel possess essential knowledge, skills, and abilities should be used.
Audit: Direct observation or monitoring of healthcare personnel adherence to job-specific IP measures.
Feedback: A summary of audit findings that is used to target performance improvement.
The basic elements of an infection prevention program are designed to prevent the spread of infection in healthcare settings. When these elements are present and practiced consistently, the risk of infection among patients and healthcare personnel is reduced.
The Infection Control Assessment Tools were developed by CDC to assist health departments in assessing infection prevention practices and guide quality improvement activities (e.g., by addressing identified gaps). These tools may also be used by healthcare facilities to conduct internal quality improvement audits.
Assessment Tool by Setting
English
- Infection Control Assessment Tool for Acute Care Hospitals pdf icon[PDF – 433 KB]
(including hospitals and long-term acute care hospitals) - Infection Control Assessment Tool for Long-term Care Facilities pdf icon[PDF – 104 KB]
- Infection Control Assessment Tool for Outpatient Settings pdf icon[PDF – 337 KB]
- Infection Control Assessment Tool for Hemodialysis Facilities pdf icon[PDF – 278 KB]
Spanish
- Herramienta de evaluación de las prácticas de control y prevención de infecciones en hospitales para enfermedades agudas pdf icon[PDF – 31 paginas]
- Herramienta de evaluación de las prácticas de control y prevención de infecciones para centros de cuidados a largo plazo pdf icon[PDF – 18 paginas]
- Herramienta de evaluación de las prácticas de control y prevención de infecciones en entornos de atención médica ambulatorial pdf icon[PDF – 22 paginas]
- Herramienta de evaluación de las prácticas de control y prevención de infecciones en centros de hemodiálisis pdf icon[PDF – 17 paginas]
Note: For Outpatient settings, the Guide to Infection Prevention for Outpatient Settings and its companion Checklist (available at: Guide to Infection Prevention for Outpatient Settings: Minimum Expectations for Safe Care) are consistent with the Outpatient Settings Infection Control Assessment Tool. While the same infection prevention elements are included in both the checklist and assessment tool, the facility demographics sections differ slightly. The assessment tool is intended for health department use whereas the checklist is intended primarily for healthcare facility use.