Position Statements

Position statements provide information and opinions from our professional staff about various topics related to infection control. These position statements deal with common questions or issues.

The Position Statements currently available to the DICON members are:

  1. Changes in NHSN Surveillance Definitions and the APIC Toolkit for Public Reporting
  2. Definitions for Community-Acquired, Healthcare-Associated, and Hospital-Acquired/Nosocomial Infections
  3. DICON Statistics -- P-Values and Small Numbers Effect
  4. Three Key Measures of Surgical Infection Prevention (SIP) Project
  5. The Controversies and Use of Active Surveillance in Community Hospitals (as of 5-1-2008)
  6. The Management of Health Care Workers with a Prior History of a Positive Tuberculin Skin Test
  7. Update in Surveillance Methodology #1 -- Surgical Site Infection
  8. Update in Surveillance Methodology #2 -- Healthcare-Acquired (Nosocomial) Infections
  9. Risk of Pathogen Cross-Transmission with Surgical Marker Pens
  10. Pros and Cons of MRSA Pre-Operative Screening Strategies in Surgical Patients
  11. Update Definitions for Clinical Clostridium difficile Infection (CDI)
  12. Update on Surveillance Definitions: Addition of "Indeterminate" Source of Infection Label
  13. Graphing and Control Charts in DICON Surveillance Database: The "Why?" and the "How?"
  14. DICON Surveillance Methods: How to Interpret a G-Chart
  15. Optimal Selection of Site for Central Venous Catheters
  16. Should a urine culture or a urinalysis routinely be obtained at the time of hospital admission or prior to routine urinary catheterization to prevent reimbursement penalties for CA-UTI?
  17. Ultraviolet Light and Environmental Decontamination: A Primer and Perspective
  18. Optimal Selection of Site for Central Venous Catheters
  19. Should a urine culture or a urinalysis routinely be obtained at the time of hospital admission or prior to routine urinary catheterization to prevent reimbursement penalties for CA-UTI?
  20. Ultraviolet Light and Environmental Decontamination: A Primer and Perspective
  21. Potential Risks Associated with Platelet Rich Plasma Technology
  22. Tdap Vaccination for Healthcare Workers (HCW)
  23. What is the Preferred and Optimal Method to Diagnose Clostridium difficile infection (CDI)?
  24. Infection Prevention in Laboratories where Pacemakers and Implantable Cardiac Devices are Inserted in Patients
  25. Commentary: Safety and Infection Risk for Re-using Medicated Canisters between patients
  26. Legionella Outbreaks Associated with Decorative Fountains
  27. Vaginal Antisepsis Preparation Prior to Abdominal Hysterectomy Procedures
  28. Home versus Facility Laundering of Surgical Scrub Clothing: A Critical Appraisal and Recommendations
  29. Recommended Laboratory Methods to Detect Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) in Community Hospitals
  30. DICON Commentary: Caring for patients with Suspected Ebola in Community Hosptials
  31. Isolation Precautions for Multidrug-Resistant Gram-Negative Organisms - Updated 9/2014
  32. Updating Hospital Policies Related to Humidity Monitoring in the Operating Room
  33. Tips to Reduce Parental Nutrition Associated Candida spp. Bloodstream Infections
  34. Does treating asymptomatic bacteriuria prior to joint surgery reduce the risk of surgical site infections?
  35. DICON Commentary: Current controversy surrounding high-level disinfection of human papilloma virus (HPV)-contaminated medical devices 
  36. Limiting Operating Room Traffic Likely Reduces the Risk of Surgical Site Infections
  37. Chlorohexidine Gluconate Skin Antisepsis and Potential for Allergic Reactions
  38. Disinfection of Surface Ultrasound Probes Used to Perform Percutaneous Procedures