Infection control: worlds apart primary and secondary care

Healthcare associated infection continues to be a major cause of morbidity and mortality in healthcare. The fact that most of what has been written on the subject of infection control and prevention relates to the hospital setting is perhaps understandable given the proximity and immune status of patients in secondary care. However, the change of term from hospital-acquired infection to healthcare-associated infection acknowledges that a similar burden may exist in community settings. Influential reports suggest that community infection control is ill-defined and there is ongoing debate whether community-based infection control nursing involves the same or different approaches to hospital infection nursing. This paper explores some of the differences between infection control practice in primary and secondary care and examines the reasons for this.