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Summary
Every year, lives are lost because of the spread of infections in hospitals. Health care workers can take steps to prevent the spread of infectious diseases. These steps are part of infection control.
Proper hand washing is the most effective way to prevent the spread of infections in hospitals. If you are a patient, don't be afraid to remind friends, family and health care providers to wash their hands before getting close to you.
Other steps health care workers can take include:
- Covering coughs and sneezes
- Staying up to date with vaccinations
- Using gloves, masks and protective clothing
- Making tissues and hand cleaners available
- Following hospital guidelines when dealing with blood or contaminated items
Related Issues
- First Responders: Encourage Your Workers to Report Bloodborne Pathogen Exposures (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health)
- Hospital-Wide Hazards: Biological Hazards -- Infectious Diseases (Occupational Safety and Health Administration)
- How Infections Spread (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- How To Be A Good Visitor During Flu Season (Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology) - PDF
- Infection Control in Dental Settings (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Infectious Disease Specialist: What Is an Infectious Disease Specialist? (Infectious Diseases Society of America)
- Patient Safety Threat - Syringe Reuse (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
Specifics
- Diseases and Organisms in Healthcare Settings (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- FAQs about Catheter-Associated Bloodstream Infections (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - PDF
- FAQs about Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infection (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - PDF
- Frequently Asked Questions about Surgical Site Infections (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish
- Frequently Asked Questions about Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Patients: Information about CRE (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Pseudomonas aeruginosa in Healthcare Settings (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- VISA/VRSA (Vancomycin-Intermediate/Resistant Staphylococcus aureus) in Healthcare Settings (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
Videos and Tutorials
- Clean Hands Count (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
Statistics and Research
- Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAI) Data (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
Clinical Trials
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Infection Control (National Institutes of Health)
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Nosocomial (Hospital-Acquired) Infections (National Institutes of Health)
Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: Magnitude of standard precautions practices among healthcare workers in health facilities...
- Article: Effect of a national infection control programme in Sweden on prosthetic...
- Article: Assessing the impact of a cleaning programme on environmental hygiene in...
- Infection Control -- see more articles
Patient Handouts
- After an exposure to sharps or body fluids (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Bloodborne pathogens (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Central line infections - hospitals (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Cleaning supplies and equipment (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Cleaning to prevent the spread of germs (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Isolation precautions (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Personal protective equipment (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Preventing infections when visiting someone in the hospital (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Staph infections in the hospital (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish