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Glossary

What Does Infection Control Mean?

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.

All glossary terms