HEALTHCARE-ASSOCIATED INFECTIONS (HAI) PROGRAM

Enhanced Standard Precautions (ESP)

AFL 24-15 announces that the CDPH is retiring its Enhanced Standard Precautions (ESP) guidance document and adopting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC’s) EBP guidance and terminology.

CDPH has developed Enhanced Barrier Precautions: Additional Considerations for California SNFs (PDF) for additional guidance on EBP.

To facilitate California SNF compliance with the CMS requirement, CDPH is retiring its ESP guidance document and adopting CDC’s EBP guidance and terminology. CDPH will continue to provide additional California-specific EBP implementation considerations, available in the Enhanced Barrier Precautions: Additional Considerations for California Skilled Nursing Facilities (PDF). SNFs that previously implemented CDPH’s ESP should be aware that ESP was based on the same core principles as EBP. Specifically, both ESP and EBP involve glove and gown use during high-contact care activities based on a resident’s risk factors for MDRO transmission. SNFs that have used either ESP or EBP guidance to educate and train their healthcare personnel and have made gloves and gowns readily available to staff should be well-positioned to comply with the CMS requirements for EBP implementation.

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