The challenge of healthcare-associated infection outside hospital

Infection control is an area of healthcare practice subject to rapid development in line with changes in the behaviour of pathogens, advances in technology, the altered profile of people undergoing healthcare, the settings in which that care is delivered and the impact of new ways of working throughout the National Health Service. This article describes how micro-organisms responsible for healthcare-associated infection can be transferred between hospital and community settings and explains the risks of disseminating infection in relation to two types of pathogen carrying resistance to antibiotics: methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus and glycopeptide resistant enterococci. Ability to read current literature critically, to be aware of changing policy and its impact on the risk of infection forms an important part of the community nursing role.