I will strive to protect myself and others from infections.

I pledge to:

• Make sure my family and I get an annual flu vaccine and other appropriate vaccinations.
• Protect my children from vaccine-preventable diseases
• Clean my hands.
• Ask my healthcare providers to clean their hands if I did not see them do it.
• Make sure my visitors clean their hands.
• Ask questions about my care and speak up if I have any concerns.
• Sneeze and cough into my elbow (not my hands) and stay home from school or work when I’m sick.
• Take all of my antibiotics and not to pressure my healthcare provider for antibiotics to help prevent antibiotic resistance.
• Learn about common infections people get in healthcare settings and their risks.
• Ask to speak with the infection preventionist at my hospital if I have any questions about infection control.
• Help keep my hospital room clean if it looks dirty.
• Ask my healthcare providers how I can stay healthy at home.

I promise to set an example for my family and friends by taking the right steps to prevent infections and live a healthy life.

Together, we can and will prevent infections.

www.apic.org/infectionpreventionandyou

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