Infection Control in the healthcare setting is a specialty whose aim is to prevent the spread and transmission of communicable diseases in the facility. For hospitals and nursing homes, the Department of Health Services requires a staff, usually an RN, to closely monitor healthcare-acquired infections (also called nosocomial infections). This is mandatory. Government agencies and health insurance payors require someone in the organization to perform continuous surveillance of healthcare-acquired infections and make sure that their residents or patients do not get sick from these infections. Communicable diseases in healthcare or any group setting are easily transmittable by the sick person or the caregivers that go from one patient to the next. This course explores the standards of care usually employed by healthcare organizations to prevent the spread of pathogenic organisms that can pose a threat to the health of its patients.
Learning Objectives Infection Control
- Explain why Infection Control is important in the healthcare setting.
- Explain the standard of care to prevent health care-associated infections, standard or universal
precautions. - Delineate isolation techniques for certain types of infection.
- Explain the appropriate use of personal protective equipment.
- Explain acute infection vs. colonization