Oregon Health Sciences University

In the period before 1963, the clinical staff directory of the University of Oregon Medical School made no mention of needing to report infections. However, from 1963-1967, staff were required to report all infections to the Medical Director of the hospital. From 1968-1972, the responsible body was referred to as the Infection Committee. From 1972-1976 (and beyond?), the responsible body was referred to as the Hospital Infections Control Committee. In 1981, the committee was called the Dept. of Hospital Infection Control; members were selected to serve on the committee by the hospital's Medical Board. Members were composed of representatives from hospital administration, the medical staff, the nursing service, the housekeeping department, the clinical laboratory, and the pharmacy. The policies promulgated by the group applied to all hospitals and clinics on campus, and encompassed patient care, environmental surveillance, and employee screening for communicable disease. The group was also responsible for reporting communicable diseases to county and state agencies.