Infection control guidelines for the prevention of transmission of infectious diseases in the health care setting.

"Endorsed by the Communicable Diseases Network Australia, the National Public Health Partnership and the Aiustralian Health Ministers' Adivsory Council."

December 2007.

Includes bibliographic references and index.

Pt. 1: Principles of infection control -- Pt. 2: Quality management -- Pt. 3: Effective work practices and procedures -- Pt. 4: Managing infectious diseases in the health care setting -- Pt. 5: Infection control in specific health care settings.

This document outlines the principles involved in, and the procedures necessary for, the prevention of transmission of infectious diseases in the health care setting, hereafter in this document referred to as infection control or infection control procedures. Successful infection control is based on good hygiene around a range of practices that arise from identifying hazards and implementing risk management for the hazards. This involves understanding: the infectious agents; the work practices that prevent the transmission of infection in different settings; and management systems that support effective work practices. To address these issues, this document has been prepared in five main parts. Part 1 (Principles of infection control) provides the foundation for all work practices and procedures detailed in the remainder of the document. Reading and applying these principles is the key to understanding the issues involved. Parts 2 to 5 may be read in their entirety or used as a ready reference to obtain specific information about the many different aspects of an effective infection control program. For example, to find information on a specific disease, refer to Part 4 (Managing infectious diseases in the health care setting). An additional part, Part 6, includes appendixes and other endmatter and can be consulted as required.