AORN26: Turning Infection Prevention Guidelines Into Practical Policies With a Scalable Framework

One of the most persistent challenges in infection prevention is not a lack of guidance, but the difficulty of translating that guidance into policies that are practical, sustainable, and tailored to real-world settings. At the 2026 AORN Global Surgical Conference & Expo (AORN26), Erica Smith, DrPH, MBA, addressed this gap with a session aimed at helping perioperative teams move from guidelines to actionable protocols.

AORN26 will be held in New Orleans, Louisiana, from April 11 to 14. Smith’s presentation will be held on April 11 from 4:30- 5:30 in rooms 208-210.

Smith, national accounts manager for nonacute care at PDI, brings a unique perspective shaped by clinical collaboration across surgery centers, oncology, and dialysis. In her session, “From Guidelines to Practice: Writing Policies That Drive Infection Prevention Compliance and Quality,” she focused on helping clinicians operationalize recommendations from organizations such as the CDC and AORN without creating overly rigid or unmanageable policies.

The Challenge: Translating Guidance Into Practice

In an interview with Infection Control Today^® (ICT^®), Smith explained that the idea for the session emerged from repeated conversations with perioperative professionals struggling to bridge this gap.

“The biggest thing that kept coming up…was how do they take guidelines into protocols?” she said.

While templates and resources exist, she emphasized that they are often too generic to meet the specific needs of individual facilities.

“A template may not be enough specific to that surgery center,” Smith noted, highlighting the need for adaptable, context-driven approaches.

For infection preventionists (IPs), this reflects a common tension. Policies must be grounded in evidence, but they must also remain flexible enough to adapt to changing conditions and local workflows.

A Structured, Layered Approach

At the core of Smith’s session is a framework designed to simplify policy development and maintenance. Rather than creating a single, static document, she encourages teams to break policies into distinct layers.

“You’re going to have a layer 1, which talks about the guideline intent, layer 2, the steps to get to that guideline intent, and layer 3, the products and or equipment that help with those,” she explained.

This structure allows for targeted updates without requiring a complete rewrite of the policy. “If something changes… you just have to change that layer without going through and changing the entire thing,” Smith said.

For perioperative teams managing frequent updates to guidelines, equipment, and workflows, this modular approach offers a practical way to maintain adherence while reducing administrative burden.

Making Policy Development Collaborative

Another key element of the session is its interactive, workshop-style design. Smith emphasized the value of collaborative thinking in developing effective policies.

Participants work through mock scenarios, evaluating guidelines and determining how to translate them into policy language. This peer-to-peer approach allows attendees to see how others interpret and apply the same evidence, reinforcing the idea that there is no one-size-fits-all solution.

“There won’t be a right or wrong answer… your facility is going to work differently than someone else’s,” Smith said.

Balancing Complexity and Simplicity

Smith also addressed a common challenge in infection prevention: finding the right balance between thoroughness and practicality. “I think it can be either the overthinking or underthinking of the importance of it,” she said.

On one end of the spectrum, teams may create overly complex protocols that attempt to account for every possible scenario, leading to confusion and poor adherence. On the other, complacency can result in gaps in fundamental practices such as hand hygiene and proper disinfection.

“Hand hygiene is the number one thing we can do to prevent the spread of infection,” Smith emphasized.

Returning to the Fundamentals

A central theme of the session is the importance of grounding infection prevention efforts in fundamental practices, even as new challenges emerge.

“There’s so many things we have to worry about…but if we get back to those fundamentals, those basics, we can handle each day as it comes,” Smith said.

This perspective is particularly relevant as health care systems navigate evolving threats, from seasonal respiratory viruses to emerging outbreaks.

Supporting Overstretched Teams

Smith also acknowledged the realities faced by many perioperative teams, particularly in ambulatory and non-acute settings.

“I see all the hard work surgery centers are putting through…and sometimes they just need that added support,” she said.

Her goal is to provide tools that not only improve compliance but also reduce stress and uncertainty for clinicians. “I want to be that added support to help them breathe a little easier,” Smith added.

Implications for Infection Prevention Professionals

For IPs, the session offers a practical framework for one of the field’s most challenging tasks. Translating guidelines into policies is not simply a technical exercise. It requires balancing evidence, workflow, resources, and human behavior.

Smith’s layered approach, combined with an emphasis on collaboration and simplicity, provides a roadmap for developing policies that are both compliant and usable.

As infection prevention continues to evolve, the ability to turn guidance into action will remain a defining skill. Sessions like this at AORN 2026 highlight that with the right structure and mindset, even complex guidelines can be transformed into effective, sustainable practice.

Read Infection Control Today for more AORN26 coverage.