National Institutes of Health
- The primary NIH organization for research on Infection Control is the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
A service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine 
National Institutes of Health
Infection Control
Every year, many 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 immunizations
- Using gloves, masks and protective clothing
- Making tissues and hand cleaners available
- Following hospital guidelines when dealing with blood or contaminated items
The top row in the table of contents box contains the following groups:
Basics
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Learn More
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Multimedia & Cool Tools
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For group Learn More
For group Multimedia & Cool Tools
The bottom row in the table of contents box contains the following groups:
Research
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Reference Shelf
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For You
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Overviews
- Facts about Infectious Diseases(Infectious Diseases Society of America)
- Patient Safety: Ten Things You Can Do to Be a Safe Patient(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
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Latest News
- Not All Doctors Want Hand-Washing Reminders(09/04/2012, Reuters Health)
- Microbiology and Genome Experts Quell Deadly Bacteria Outbreak(08/22/2012, HealthDay)
- Burnt-Out Nurses Linked to More Hospital Infections(07/31/2012, HealthDay)
- More News on Infection Control
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Prevention/Screening
- Preventing Infections in the Hospital - What You Can Do(National Patient Safety Foundation)
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Specific Conditions
- (Lack of) Universal Precautions(Occupational Safety and Health Administration)
- CDC Vital Signs: Making Health Care Safer Stopping C. Difficile Infections(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Diseases and Organisms in Healthcare Settings(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Healthcare Wide Hazards: Bloodborne Pathogens(Occupational Safety and Health Administration)
- Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAI)(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Type of Healthcare-associated Infections(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
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Related Issues
- Encourage Your Workers to Report Bloodborne Pathogen Exposures(National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health)
- Hand Hygiene: When and How(World Health Organization) - PDF
- Infection(Occupational Safety and Health Administration)
- Infection Control in Dental Settings(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Laundry: Washing Infected Material(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Patient Safety Threat - Syringe Reuse(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- What Is an ID Specialist?(Infectious Diseases Society of America)
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Videos
- Hand Hygiene Saves Lives(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
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Clinical Trials
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Infection Control(National Institutes of Health)
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Nosocomial (Hospital-Acquired) Infections(National Institutes of Health)
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Infection Control
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Research
- Trauma Patients with Hospital-Acquired Infections Have Poor Outcomes, Including Increased Mortality Risk(Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality)
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Journal Articles
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
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Organizations
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Patient Handouts
- After an exposure to sharps or body fluids
- Also available in Spanish
- Bloodborne pathogens
- Also available in Spanish
- Central line infections - hospitals
- Also available in Spanish
- Cleaning supplies and equipment
- Also available in Spanish
- Cleaning to prevent the spread of germs
- Also available in Spanish
- Isolation precautions
- Also available in Spanish
- Personal protective equipment
- Also available in Spanish
- Preventing infections when visiting
- Also available in Spanish
- Staph infections - hospital
- Also available in Spanish
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You may also be interested in these related encyclopedia pages:
MEDICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA
Infection Control - Multiple Languages