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Infection Control
NICE Clinical Guidelines, No. 2
Authors
National Collaborating Centre for Nursing and Supportive Care (UK).Excerpt
The prevalence of healthcare-associated infections in patients in primary and community care settings in the United Kingdom is not known. Many infections in these patients may have been acquired in hospital and only identified following early discharge into the community. The risk of infection will also be influenced by the use of various medical devices, such as urinary and central venous catheters and enteral feeding systems.
Incorporating evidence-based infection prevention and control advice into routine clinical care activities is believed to be important in reducing the incidence of preventable healthcare-associated infections. Consequently, guidelines for preventing healthcare-associated infections in caring for patients in primary and community care settings were commissioned.