CHCPOL003 Research: Evidence-Based Infection Control in Hospitals

This report provides an overview of infection control in hospitals, emphasizing its importance in preventing healthcare-associated infections. It defines infection control, outlines its benefits, and describes the roles of the infection control team. The report also discusses chlorhexidine bathing as a method for reducing nosocomial infections, highlighting its broad-spectrum efficacy and antimicrobial activity. References to relevant studies and guidelines from organizations like the CDC and ESCMID are included to support the information presented. Desklib offers access to this and other solved assignments to aid student learning.

Infection Control in
Hospitals

What is infection control?
• Infection control refers to the discipline
that is concerned with management
and prevention healthcare associated
or nosocomial infections in hospital
settings (Krein et al. 2012).
• It is an essential topic in nursing owing
to the fact that it forms the foundation
of healthcare services, which aims to
improve health and wellbeing of all
patients.
• It is imperative to public
health practice.

Infection Control benefits
• Avoids official entanglements
• Upholds integrity of
maintaining patient safety
• Delivers highest quality care
service to patients
• Improves patient satisfaction
(Tacconelli et al. 2014)
• Prevents adverse medical
errors

Infection control team
• Supports regulatory
submission and accreditation
• Are accessible 24*7*365
• Monitor patients during entire
stay in hospitals (CDC 2012)
• Encourages culture of
hygiene maintenance
• Reduces risk of HAIs

Chlorhexidine bathing
• Broad spectrum efficacy
in treating skin irritation
• High anti-microbial
activity
• Binds to skin and mucous
membrane (Rosenthal et
al. 2013)
• Cloths impregnated with
2% CHG reduces
nosocomial infections

References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention., 2012. Vital signs: preventing
Clostridium difficile infections. MMWR. Morbidity and mortality weekly
report, 61(9), p.157.
Krein, S.L., Kowalski, C.P., Hofer, T.P. and Saint, S., 2012. Preventing hospital-
acquired infections: a national survey of practices reported by US hospitals
in 2005 and 2009. Journal of general internal medicine, 27(7), pp.773-779.
Rosenthal, V.D., Richtmann, R., Singh, S., Apisarnthanarak, A., Kübler, A.,
Viet-Hung, N., Ramírez-Wong, F.M., Portillo-Gallo, J.H., Toscani, J., Gikas, A.
and Dueñas, L., 2013. Surgical site infections, International Nosocomial
Infection Control Consortium (INICC) report, data summary of 30 countries,
2005–2010. Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology, 34(6), pp.597-604.
Tacconelli, E., Cataldo, M.A., Dancer, S.J., Angelis, G., Falcone, M., Frank, U.,
Kahlmeter, G., Pan, A., Petrosillo, N., Rodríguez‐Baño, J. and Singh, N., 2014.
ESCMID guidelines for the management of the infection control measures to
reduce transmission of multidrug‐resistant Gram‐negative bacteria in
hospitalized patients. Clinical Microbiology and Infection, 20(s1), pp.1-55.

Thank you!