Infection prevention and control (IPC) practices can help stop the spread of infections, including SARS-CoV-2, in health care settings. IPC is a critical part of safe health care delivery in all health care settings and is vital to protecting health care personnel and patients.
COVID-19 & infection prevention and control resources
The CDC offers several guidance documents and resources to address infection prevention and control (IPC) and COVID-19 for health care professionals. IPC is the practice of preventing or stopping the spread of infections from the delivery of health care. In the context of COVID-19, the IPC goal is to support the maintenance of essential health care services by containing and preventing COVID-19 transmission within health care facilities to keep patients and health care personnel healthy and safe.
- Interim infection prevention and control recommendations for health care personnel during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic
- Interim guidance for managing health care personnel with SARS-CoV-2 infection or exposure to SARS-CoV-2
- Strategies to mitigate health care personnel staffing shortages
- Health care infection prevention and control FAQs for COVID-19
- Guidance and resources on health care supply of personal protective equipment (PPE)
- Strategies for optimizing the supply of PPE
- Frequently asked questions about personal protective equipment
CDC Project Firstline infection control and prevention training
Project Firstline, CDC's national training collaborative for infection prevention and control, is committed to preparing frontline health care professionals and the public health workforce to protect themselves, their patients and their communities from infectious disease threats. Health care professionals are on the frontlines of infection control and are essential partners in stopping the spread of infectious diseases.
Project Firstline resources include support to 64 health departments in the U.S. and more than a dozen collaborators, to help ensure this effort reaches all health care professionals.
To reach this goal, Project Firstline revolves around five core components, the first two, educational in nature, will be featured on the AMA Ed Hub. Education offered on the AMA Ed Hub through Project Firstline will begin as short, web-based, intensive modules focused on the foundational concepts of infection prevention and control and grounded in behavior change principles and practices.
