Manual: Behavioral Health
Chapter: National Patient Safety Goals NPSG
Topic: Hand Hygiene - Physical Care

NPSG.07.01.01 in the BHC accreditation manual states that it is only applicable if physical care is provided. What would be considered physical care?

Any examples are for illustrative purposes only.

Physical care is direct care provided by staff to the individual that is beyond casual social contact. Examples of physical care would include physical examinations, taking vitals, wound care, medication injections, specimen collection, etc.. This is not to be considered an exhaustive list of examples. If applicable, the organization must implement a program that follows categories IA, IB, or IC of either the current Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) or the current World Health Organization (WHO) hand hygiene guidelines. If NPSG.07.01.01 is not applicable to the organization because physical health care is not provided it should be noted that standard IC.01.04.01 EP 5 is still applicable to all accredited organizations. This requirement addresses the need to work on improvement in staff compliance with hand hygiene guidelines.
Last updated on November 18, 2021 with update notes of: Review only, FAQ is current
First Published Date: April 11, 2016
Last Reviewed Date: November 02, 2021