Healthcare-associated infections: prevention and control in primary and community care (NICE Clinical guideline [CG139])

Summary

This guideline from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) covers preventing and controlling healthcare-associated infections in children, young people and adults in primary and community care settings. It provides a blueprint for the infection prevention and control precautions that should be applied by everyone involved in delivering NHS care and treatment.

Content

This guideline includes recommendations on:

• hand decontamination
• use of personal protective equipment
• safe use and disposal of sharps
• waste disposal
• long-term urinary catheters
• enteral feeding
• vascular access devices.

Who is it for?

• commissioners and providers
• healthcare professionals working in primary and community care settings, including ambulance services, schools and prisons
• children, young people and adults receiving healthcare for which standard infection-control precautions apply in primary and community care, and their families and carers.