Glossary
Infection Control is a critical aspect of healthcare that focuses on preventing the spread of infections within healthcare settings.
The primary goal of infection control is to prevent the transmission of infections from:
Patient to patient
Patient to healthcare worker
Healthcare worker to patient
Healthcare setting to the community
Community to healthcare setting
Infection control involves several key components:
Surveillance: This helps to track infection trends, identify outbreaks, and guide interventions.
Standard precautions: Practices that healthcare workers should follow in all situations to reduce the risk of transmission of infectious agents
These include:
Hand hygiene
The use of personal protective equipment (PPE)
Respiratory hygiene
Safe injection practices
Transmission-based precautions: Additional practices that should be followed when caring for patients with certain types of infections
These include:
Contact precautions
Droplet precautions
Airborne precautions
Management of the healthcare environment:
Reduces the risk of transmission of infections
Cleaning and disinfection of the environment and medical equipment
Waste management
Design and maintenance of healthcare facilities
In conclusion, infection control is a vital aspect of healthcare that aims to prevent the spread of infections within healthcare settings. It involves a range of practices and procedures, including surveillance, standard precautions, transmission-based precautions, management of the healthcare environment, education and training, and occupational health management.
