The infection control information system of the Hospital Infections Program, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

In December 1990 the Investigation and Prevention Branch, Hospital Infections Program, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), developed the Hospital Infections Program infection control information system (HIP ICIS) to respond more efficiently to more than 200 public inquiries (telephone or written) that HIP receives daily. The HIP ICIS allows anyone with a Touch-Tone telephone, fax machine, or computer to access CDC information that answers the most commonly asked questions from infection control practitioners and other health care workers. The HIP ICIS has received approximately 56,608 inquiries; of these, 33% were about CDC guidelines on prevention and control of nosocomial infections, 25% about issues related to HIV, 16% about sterilization and disinfection of medical devices, 8% about methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, 3% about long-term care facilities, and 17% about miscellaneous topics (e.g., nosocomial infection rates, infection control courses, and ventilation, construction, and renovation of hospitals). The HIP ICIS is an efficient method of providing infection control guidance to the infection control community. In this article, we a) review the history of the HIP ICIS, b) present data on HIP ICIS usage, c) summarize the current HIP ICIS contents, and d) present step-by-step instructions on how to access the HIP ICIS.