Posted By Chris on July 31, 2011
The term Nosocomial Infection has more recently been changed to Health Care Acquired Infection or HAI. I find Health Care Workers continue to default to using Nosocomial. In any case, a HAI or Nosocomial Infection, is one that develops 48 to 72 hours after admission to a healthcare facility, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Multiple factors contribute to the transmission of infectious organisms in hospitals, long term care facilities and rehabilitation centers; they include the type of infectious organism, the patient’s proximity to the source of infection, the means by which the organism could potentially be transmitted and the status of the patient’s immune system.
Ultimately, it is the responsibility of the facility to develop policies and procedures designed to interrupt the transmission of infectious organisms from the source to the patient and to maintain a strong Infection Control Surveillance program. That is where you, the DSD, Infection Preventionist, or DON, and your Infection Control Committee, come in.
Categories: Infection Prevention in LTC
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About the author
Hello, my name is Chris Walter. I am a Registered Nurse with experience in several nursing specialties including Surgery, Case Management, Legal Nurse Consulting, Community Health, and Infection Prevention and Control. I have a BSN and a Public Health Nursing Certificate (PHN) in the stateof California.
My hope is to facilitate the sharing of knowledge and resources with Health Care Workers who have an interest in the specialty of Infection Prevention and Control in Long-term Care. Please feel comfortable contacting me at icpreventionist@aol.com and share your comments with The Preventionist as well.
I consider myself a perpetual student, rather than an expert. My intent is to provide information based on recommendations from the masters of infection control and prevention such as;
• The Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (A.P.I.C.)
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
• State Department of Public Health
All information contained within The Preventionist site is strictly for informational purposes only. None of the statements on this site are to be considered a recommendation for treatment of any particular disease or health related condition.
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