Infection Control Overview

Chapter 1: Infection Control Overview

Overview:

• Discusses Infection control aims and objectives
• Explains the source of infection and its transmission and how it can spread
• Includes graphs and diagrams to aid explanation
• Lists and explains the differing types of infections and their route of transmission
• Guides the reader through ways to break the chain of infection

Description:

Effective infection control is a basic and essential component of the safe environment of care. This chapter explores how to achieve effective infection control through discussing and explaining infections and the principles of infection control. By discussing an array of ways to break the chain of infection, it guides the reader on how to achieve a safe environment of care.

Topics:

• Infection control aims and objectives
  • Principles of infection control
• Source, transmission, and spread of infection
• Route of transmission
  • Exogenous and endogenous infection
• Interruption to transmission
• Principles of infection prevention
  • Hand-washing; standard precautions; and additional precautions
• Resistant organisms
  • MRSA and VRE

Speaker / Author:

Kevin J. Kendall
Kevin is an experienced practitioner in infection control. Having originally trained as a general nurse and midwife, Kevin’s involvement in infection control has spanned more than 17 years and his expertise in this field has been sought by hospitals, community health centres, medical practices, extended care facilities and child care centres. He has worked with many health professionals and aged care staff on program assessment, development and review, environmental safety matters, compliance with standards, education and training programs.

Kevin has held executive committee positions on the Victorian Infection Control Nurses Association, the Sterilisation and Research Advisory Council of Australia, the Wound Management Association of Victoria and the Australian AIDS Nurses Resource Group. He is currently working as an infection prevention team leader for a large public health service in Australia.

Professional Reviews: