Preventing human immunodeficiency virus transmission in the podiatric practice. The role of the podiatric medical assistant.

Rationales for the design and implementation of infectious disease control programs include protecting the health of patients and staff, reducing the risk of vulnerability in litigation, and complying with the regulatory environment that mandates such programs. The development and implementation of a comprehensive infectious disease control program is not a difficult project. The Universal Precautions Policy created by the CDC outlines basic recommendations for preventing the transmission of HIV. OSHA regulations also provide step-by-step guidelines that simplify adaptation of the CDC's policy to the podiatric medical practice. The execution of an effective infectious disease control program can be accomplished by the use of 10 basic protocols for the podiatric practice. These protocols provide the basis for policy, training, follow-up, and documentation. Design and implementation of this process within a podiatric medical practice can reduce dramatically the risk of inadvertent transmission of HIV and other blood-borne pathogens.