Checklist for infection control in the emergency department.

The risk of encountering human-to-human infections, including emerging infectious diseases, should be adequately and appropriately addressed in the emergency department. However, guidelines based on sufficient evidence on infection control in the emergency department have not been developed anywhere in the world. Each facility examines and implements its own countermeasures. The Japanese Association for Acute Medicine has established the "Committee for Infection Control in the Emergency Department" in cooperation with the Japanese Association for Infectious Diseases, Japanese Society for Infection Prevention and Control, Japanese Society for Emergency Medicine, and Japanese Society for Clinical Microbiology. A joint working group has been established to consider appropriate measures. This group undertook a comprehensive and multifaceted review of infection control measures for emergency outpatients and related matters, and released a checklist for infection control in emergency departments. This checklist has been prepared such that even small emergency departments with few or no emergency physicians can control infection by following the checklist, without committing any major errors. The checklist includes a control system for infection control, education, screening, and vaccination, prompt response to suspected infections, and management of the risk of infection in facilities. In addition, the timing of the check and interval at which the check is carried out are specified as categories. We hope that this checklist will contribute to improving infection control in the emergency department.

Informations de copyright

© 2020 The Authors. Acute Medicine & Surgery published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Japanese Association for Acute Medicine.

Déclaration de conflit d'intérêts

Approval of the research protocol: N/A. Informed consent: N/A. Animal studies: N/A. Conflict of interest: The author and the Joint Working Group members have the following financial conflicts of interest disclosed in accordance with the standards used by the Japanese Association of Medical Sciences since 2016 through 2018: Junichi Sasaki, honoraria from Astellas Pharma, MSD, Pfizer Japan, and Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma, and research funding from Astellas Pharma, Pfizer Japan, and Roche Diagnostics; Nobuaki Shime, honoraria from Daiichi Sankyo, MSD, Otsuka Pharmaceutical Factory, Pfizer Japan, and Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma, and research funding from Asahi Kasei Pharma and Shionogi; Katsunori Yanagihara, honoraria from Astellas Pharma, MSD, Taisho Toyama Pharmaceutical, Daiichi Sankyo, Nippon Becton, Dickinson and Company, Pfizer Japan, bioMérieux Japan, and Kyorin Pharmaceutical, and research funding from Daiichi Sankyo, Meiji Seika Pharma, MSD, Nippon Becton, Dickinson and Company, Pfizer Japan, Shionogi, Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma, and Toyama Chemical. Other authors and members of the Joint Working Group have no conflicts of interest.