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Infection Control: Military Programs Are Comparable to VA and Nonfederal Programs but Can Be Enhanced

HRD-90-74 Published: Apr 27, 1990. Publicly Released: Apr 27, 1990.
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Highlights

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO compared military hospitals' infection control programs to similar efforts in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and nonfederal hospitals.

Recommendations

Recommendations for Executive Action

Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Defense The Secretary of Defense should direct the service secretaries, in conjunction with the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, to update service infection control regulations. At a minimum, the regulations should require components similar to those in the GAO-identified basic elements.
Closed – Implemented
The services have been directed to promulgate infection control policies that reflect the intent of the GAO elements and are in compliance with Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organizations standards or those of other nationally recognized experts. All services have revised their policies accordingly.
Department of Defense The Secretary of Defense should direct the service secretaries, in conjunction with the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, to require the service surgeons general to determine the relative priority of the infection control programs in relation to other hospital activities and ensure that hospitals provide adequate resources for infection control.
Closed – Implemented
The services have been directed to identify specific corrective actions planned on the GAO recommendations and determine the resources needed to implement those actions.
Department of Defense The Secretary of Defense should direct the service secretaries, in conjunction with the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, to ensure that headquarters or mid-level command staff who are familiar with infection control program activities make periodic visits to each hospital to provide technical assistance to the infection control program.
Closed – Implemented
Periodic visits are to be initiated after infection control policies are developed.

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Topics

Health resources utilizationHospital administrationInfectious diseasesInspectionManagement information systemsMilitary hospitalsQuality assuranceStandards evaluationVeterans hospitalsHospitals