Infection Control for Healthcare Workers

Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) are infections that people acquire while receiving treatment for another condition in a healthcare setting. HAIs can be acquired anywhere healthcare is delivered, including inpatient acute care hospitals, outpatient settings such as ambulatory surgical centers and end-stage renal disease facilities, and long-term care facilities such as nursing homes and rehabilitation centers. These infections may be caused by any infectious agent, including bacteria, fungi, viruses, and other less common types of pathogens. Each year, millions of patients develop HAIs, resulting in thousands of preventable deaths, prolonged hospital stays, and billions of dollars in additional healthcare costs.

These infections are associated with a variety of risk factors including use of indwelling medical devices such as bloodstream, endotracheal, and urinary catheters; surgical procedures; injections; contamination of the healthcare environment; transmission of communicable diseases between patients and healthcare workers; and overuse or improper use of antibiotics. Every healthcare worker plays a critical role in preventing the spread of infection. This comprehensive Infection Control training course provides the information healthcare workers need to prevent or reduce the spread of infection and the resulting illnesses and deaths through proper techniques, standard precautions, and infection control best practices.