• To refresh your foundation knowledge of infection prevention and control practice in the emergency department
• To familiarise yourself with commonly observed hospital acquired infections and infectious diseases circulating in the wider community
• To count towards revalidation as part of your 35 hours of CPD, or you may wish to write a reflective account (UK readers)
• To contribute towards your professional development and local registration renewal requirements (non-UK readers)
The control and prevention of infection in emergency departments (EDs) remains challenging because of the complexity of the environment and the consistently high attendance in many EDs. Emergency nurses play an essential role in infection prevention and control in this clinical area. The COVID-19 pandemic has refocused the need for emergency nurses to have a good knowledge and understanding of infection control processes and the clinical skills to protect themselves and patients alike. This article provides an overview of UK epidemiological perspectives, the main pathogens associated with healthcare infections, the importance of reducing pathogen transmission and the emergency nurse’s role in antibiotic stewardship.
Emergency Nurse. doi: 10.7748/en.2023.e2157
Peer reviewThis article has been subject to external double-blind peer review and checked for plagiarism using automated software
Correspondence Conflict of interestNone declared
Curr S, Baker E (2023) Managing infection prevention and control in the emergency care setting: an overview for emergency nurses. Emergency Nurse. doi: 10.7748/en.2023.e2157
TributePublished posthumously in memory of Sarah Curr
Published online: 04 April 2023
Keywords :
bacterial infections - communicable diseases - Clostridium difficile - coronavirus - Covid-19 - cross-infection - emergency care - hygiene - infection - infection control - infection prevention - meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus - nursing care - streptococcus - urinary tract infections
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