We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.
We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.
from Section 3 - Infection: General Principles
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 18 June 2025
Infection prevention and control (IPC) is defined by the World Health Organization as a practical and evidence-based approach to prevent patients and health workers from harm by avoidable infection and from antimicrobial resistance (WHO 2020a). Historically, IPC concepts emerged from the prevention and management of wound infections, but it has since evolved to approach health-care associated infections (HCAI) across the health system. HCAI are infections that occur in patients receiving care in health facilities, but which were not present or incubating at the time of admission. IPC also encompasses occupational illness as staff working in health settings may acquire HCAI from the workplace. For infection to occur, an infectious agent must leave an individual or reservoir, survive in the environment, and enter a susceptible host. IPC is the art and science of preventing this sequence of events from occurring. Improving IPC in health-care facilities is a mark of quality that encourages workplace safety for patients and health-care workers and safeguards hospitalized patients and their guardians from infectious disease outbreaks.
To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure no-reply@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.
Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.
Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.
To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.
To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.
