By Healthcare Facilities Today

Because healthcare for children often includes long-distance travel and lodging for specialized medical treatments, the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) partnered with Ronald McDonald House Charities to release the first-ever infection prevention and control guidelines for "home away from home" pediatric residential facilities, according to an article on the Medical Express website. 

The new guidelines were published in the October issue of Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, the journal of SHEA.

"Although these settings are not healthcare facilities, there is a duty to protect patients and their families who increasingly utilize these family-centered facilities that were developed to meet growing needs and improve the quality of life of children worldwide," said Judith A. Guzman-Cottrill, DO, lead author of the guidelines.

According to the article, although the annual incidence of infections acquired in pediatric residential facilities is unknown, patients vulnerable to infection and their families are at risk of exposure to infectious pathogens in common areas, such as family lounges and community kitchens.

The guidelines have been endorsed by the Pediatric Infectious Disease Society. Key points and information from the guidelines have been adapted in educational materials for patients and families planning to stay at a family-centered residential facility, the article said. 

Read the article.