Guidance Developed for Infection Prevention, Control in Nursing Homes

TUESDAY, Dec. 16, 2025 (HealthDay News) — In multisociety guidance published in the November issue of Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology, recommendations are presented for infection prevention and control (IPC) in the context of nursing homes.

Lona Mody, M.D., from the University of Michigan and VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System, and colleagues developed recommendations for IPC in the context of nursing home care in the United States.

The authors recommend having at least one infection preventionist who manages the IPC program, including ongoing, specialized training in IPC that is financially supported by the nursing home; sufficient dedicated time should be provided for managing the IPC program. Adequate staffing and supplies should be provided to allow health care personnel to follow all recommended IPC practices. Other recommendations were developed in relation to training, vaccinations, health care-associated infection surveillance, and outbreak preparedness and response. In addition, the challenges of maintaining a home-like care place while sustaining necessary IPC measures were addressed.

“We hope that this new guidance will speak primarily to the infection control practitioner who leads the prevention effort in nursing homes and provides an updated evidence-based discussion of major issues of the day, how to choose and prioritize interventions that have been shown to prevent infection, and what resources, personnel may be needed to ensure a successful program,” Mody said in a statement.

Two authors disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical industry.

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