Preparing for COVID-19 in Nursing Homes
Centers for Disease Control
Abstract
Given their congregate nature and resident population served (e g , older adults often with underlying chronic medical conditions), nursing home populations are at high risk of being affected by respiratory pathogens like COVID-19 and other pathogens, including multidrug-resistant organisms (e g , Carbapenemase-producing organisms, Candida auris ) As demonstrated by the COVID-19 pandemic, a strong infection prevention and control (IPC) program is critical to protect both residents and healthcare personnel (HCP) Facilities should assign at least one individual with training in IPC to provide on-site management of their COVID-19 prevention and response activities because of the breadth of activities for which an IPC program is responsible, including developing IPC policies and procedures, performing infection surveillance, providing competency-based training of HCP, and auditing adherence to recommended IPC practices The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently issued Nursing Home Reopening Guidance for State and Local Officialspdf iconexternal icon that outlines criteria that could be used to determine when nursing homes could relax restrictions on visitation and group activities and when such restrictions should be reimplemented Nursing homes should consider the current situation in their facility and community and refer to that guidance as well as direction from state and local officials when making decisions about relaxing restrictions When relaxing any restrictions, nursing homes must remain vigilant for COVID-19 among residents and HCP in order to prevent spread and protect residents and HCP from severe infections, hospitalizations, and death This guidance has been updated and reorganized according to core IPC practices that should remain in place even as nursing homes resume normal practices, plus additional strategies depending on the stages described in the CMS Reopening Guidancepdf iconexternal icon or at the direction of state and local officials This guidance is based on currently available information about COVID-19 and will be refined and updated as more information becomes available These recommendations supplement the CDC’s Interim Infection Prevention and Control Recommendations for Patients with Suspected or Confirmed Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Healthcare Settings and are specific for nursing homes, including skilled nursing facilities Additional Key Resources: Considerations for the Public Health Response to COVID-19 in Nursing Homes Interim Testing in Response to Suspected or Confirmed COVID-19 in Nursing Home Residents and Healthcare Personnel Considerations for Performing Facility-wide SARS-CoV-2 Testing in Nursing Homes Considerations for Memory Care Units in Long-Term Care Facilities Infection Prevention and Control Assessment Tool for Nursing Homes Preparing for COVID-19