Key Points
- Infection control prevents or stops the spread of diseases in healthcare settings.
- Healthcare professionals can reduce the risk of healthcare-associated infections and protect themselves, patients, and visitors by following CDC guidelines.
Overview
Germs are a part of everyday life. Germs live in our air, soil, water, and in and on our bodies. Some germs are helpful, while others are harmful.
An infection occurs when germs enter the body, increase in number, and the body responds. Only a small portion of germs can cause infection.
Terms to Know
Sources
Sources are places where infectious agents (germs) live (e.g., sinks, surfaces, human skin). Sources are also called reservoirs.
Transmission
Transmission is a way germs move to a susceptible person. Germs depend on people, the environment, and/or medical equipment to move in healthcare settings. Transmission is also called a pathway.
Susceptible Person
A susceptible person is someone who is not immunized or otherwise immune. For example, a person with a weakened immune system who has a way for germs to enter the body.
Colonization
Colonization is when someone has germs on or in their body but does not have symptoms of an infection. Colonized individuals can still transmit the germs they carry.
How It Works in Healthcare Settings
For an infection to occur, germs must transmit to a person from a source, enter the body, invade tissues, multiply, and cause a response.
Examples of Sources
- People such as patients, healthcare workers, and visitors.
- Dry surfaces in patient care areas such as bed rails, medical equipment, countertops, and tables.
- Wet surfaces, damp environments, and biofilms (collections of microorganisms that stick to each other and surfaces in wet environments, such as the inside of pipes).
- Cooling towers, faucets and sinks, and equipment such as ventilators.
- Dust or decaying debris such as construction dust or wet materials from water leaks.
Examples of Transmission
- Physical contact, such as when a healthcare provider touches medical equipment that has germs on it and then touches a patient before cleaning their hands.
- Sprays and splashes when an infected person coughs or sneezes, creating droplets that land on a person's eyes, nose, or mouth.
- Inhalation when infected patients cough or talk, or when construction areas stir up soil and dust containing germs that another person breathes in.
- Sharps injuries, such as when someone is accidentally stuck with a used needle.
Examples of Susceptible People
- People who have underlying medical conditions such as diabetes, cancer, or organ transplantation. These conditions can reduce the immune system's ability to fight infection.
- People who take medications such as antibiotics, steroids, and certain cancer treatments. These can reduce the body's ability to fight infection.
- People who receive treatments or procedures such as urinary catheters, tubes, and surgery, which can provide additional ways for germs to enter the body.
Keep Reading
Infection Control in Health Care: An Overview
Recommendations
Healthcare Providers
Healthcare providers can perform basic infection prevention measures to prevent infection.
There are two levels of recommended precautions to prevent the spread of infections in healthcare settings:
- Standard Precautions, used for all patient care.
- Transmission-Based Precautions, used for patients who may be infected or colonized with certain germs.
There are also transmission- and germ-specific guidelines that providers can follow to prevent transmission and healthcare-associated infections.
Health Care Providers
Guidance Library
Patients and Caregivers
- Wash hands regularly with soap and water or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
- Remind people, including healthcare staff, to clean their hands before touching the patient or handling medical devices.
Keep Reading
Tips for Being a Safe Patient
Resources
For Healthcare Providers and Settings
About Project Firstline
Accessible infection control education for all frontline healthcare workers.
Infection Control Assessment and Response (ICAR) Tool for General Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) Across Settings
Assess and improve a healthcare facility’s infection prevention and control practices.
Considerations for Reducing Risk: Surfaces in Healthcare Facilities
Core elements for creating and maintaining clean and safe surfaces in healthcare facilities.
Considerations for Reducing Risk: Water in Healthcare Facilities
Healthcare facilities should consider these actions to reduce water-based health risks.
Preventing MDROs
Strategies for preventing and responding to multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs).
On This Page
- Overview
- Terms to Know
- How It Works in Healthcare Settings
- Recommendations
- Resources
