Image of the first page of the CDC Conversation Guide for Healthcare Providers. Talking with Patients about How to Protect Against Fall and Winter Respiratory Viruses.

Support for the Urgent Need to Increase Immunization Coverage this Winter

On December 14^th, CDC released a health advisory about the ongoing need to vaccinate against viral respiratory infections this winter. To help healthcare workers, the health advisory included supporting data and educational resources that we are featuring this month.

Ways to Share these Resources

Update your patient communication script for the electronic medical record; it isn’t too late to vaccinate!
These conversation-based education resources may be key for those who didn’t vaccinate early.

Target Audience: Essentials IPC education level

Guidance & Regulation Updates

VIPTA members track guidance and regulation resources to share source documents that guide infection prevention and control practices for public health staff and clinical and non-clinical healthcare personnel.

The date of the regulation or guidance update is included in each post. Please check linked content to be sure it is the most up to date and recommended practice.

CDC: Core Elements of Hospital Diagnostic Excellence (DxEx) (February 4, 2026)

CDC

Acute Care Hospital

Acute Care Rehabilitation or Long-Term Care Acute Hospital (LTACH)

Assisted Living Facility (ALF)

Department of Health

Hospice and Palliative Care

Nursing Home / Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF)

Core Elements of Hospital Diagnostic Excellence (DxEx) (February 4, 2026) The Diagnostic excellence (DxEx) provides guidance to implement actionable strategies within hospitals to enhance diagnostic accuracy through improved diagnostic reasoning, testing methodologies, and communication processes, ultimately elevating patient safety standards. It encourages the implementation of systematic approaches and evidence-based practices for improving diagnostic processes, ultimately aiming to reduce errors and increase patient safety across healthcare settings.

CDC: Clostridioides difficile Infection (CDI) Surveillance (March 19, 2026)

CDC

Any Practice Setting

Department of Health

Surveillance

Clostridioides difficile Infection (CDI) Surveillance (March 19, 2026) The guidance on Clostridioides difficile (C. diff) emphasizes the importance of implementing prevention strategies, including appropriate antibiotic use, enhanced infection control practices, and patient education to reduce the incidence of C. diff infections in healthcare settings. It highlights the role of the Emerging Infections Program (EIP) in monitoring C. diff cases, promoting research on infection trends, and improving response efforts to effectively manage outbreaks and improve patient care.

VDH: Clinician Letter – Updates on Virginia Department of Health Vaccine Recommendations (2/19/2026)

VDH

Department of Health

Pediatric / NICU

Vaccination

Clinician Letter: Updates on Virginia Department of Health Vaccine Recommendations (2/19/2026) The clinician letter reports that Virginia recommends continued use of the American Academy of Pediatrics 2026 immunization schedule despite recent federal changes, emphasizing that current vaccine guidance should remain grounded in established scientific evidence and clinical best practices. The letter also states that there are no changes to Virginia school immunization requirements and urges clinicians to continue offering recommended vaccines and use clinical judgment in shared decision-making with patients and families.

CDC: Considerations for Reducing Risk – Water in Healthcare Facilities (2/6/2026)

CDC

Any Practice Setting

Water Management

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Considerations for Reducing Risk: Water in Healthcare Facilities (February 6, 2026) CDC recommends establishing a water management program that identifies risk areas in a facility’s water system and implements controls to prevent harmful pathogens like Legionella. The program should be routinely monitored, documented, and adjusted to ensure it remains effective and responsive to changing conditions.

ASHRAE: Ventilation of Healthcare Facilities (2/16/2026)

Any Practice Setting

Air Quality

Ventilator

The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) Ventilation of Healthcare Facilities (02/16/2026) The 2025 edition of ANSI/ASHRAE/ASHE Standard 170 outlines minimum ventilation requirements for health care facilities, emphasizing compliance and best practices for HVAC system design. Key updates include the option for natural ventilation, total outdoor air calculations for combined spaces, and clarified requirements for imaging and outpatient areas.

Carilion Clinic

The Carilion Clinic Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) team is engaging patients in the outpatient hand hygiene program. Infection prevention is a team effort, and everyone, including patients, has a role to play. Hand hygiene is the most crucial strategy for preventing infections, and through this program, Carilion is committed to providing the best patient care.

The Patient Feedback Monitoring Program invites patients at ambulatory sites to provide feedback on their providers’ hand hygiene. During their visits, patients receive feedback cards where they can indicate “yes,” “no,” or “unsure” if their provider performed hand hygiene before initiating physical contact. These data are compiled into a Tableau dashboard and shared with sites in real-time to evaluate compliance. The goal of this program is to highlight the importance of hand hygiene in the clinical setting and empower patients to be allies and advocates for infection prevention.

Since the program’s creation, the Carilion Clinic IPC team has been actively engaging ambulatory clinics and promoting the initiative, setting a goal for each clinic to submit 40 observations per month. Collaborating with the marketing and technology departments, the team ensured that the observation tools are accessible. The total number of outpatient hand hygiene observations increased from 12,311 in 2022 to 17,033 in 2023. As of July 2024, outpatient clinics have already collected 11,259 observations, and the year is only half over!