Abstract
At the beginning of the 21st century, the UK had one of the highest rates of healthcare-associated infection (HCAI) in Europe ( National Audit Office (NAO), 2000 ; NAO, 2004 ). Recent changes in health-care practice, including an increased emphasis on hand washing, have led to a major decline in HCAIs—from 9.2% of patients in 1980, to 6.7–6.4 % in 2011 ( Walker and Fowler, 2011 ; Health Protection Agency (HPA), 2012 ). HPA data (2012) show that the rate of HCAI fell from 8.2% to 6.4% in 5 years. There has been a 69% reduction in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteraemia rates and a 59% reduction in clostridium difficile infections over the past 5 years ( Public Health England, 2013 ). Although much has been achieved, rising levels of antimicrobial resistance mean ‘we could be close to reaching a point where we may not be able to prevent or treat everyday infections or diseases’ ( Department of Health (DH), 2013 ). Every health-care practitioner has an important part to play in working to prevent infection and to stem the tide of antimicrobial resistance. This article aims to enable readers to understand the fundamentals of infection control.
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