Isolation for the control of infection in skin wards

An isolation policy in a hospital for skin diseases is reported. Patients carrying penicillin- and tetracycline-resistant organisms were to be isolated in single rooms, though barrier nursing was not practised. The policy failed because the single beds rapidly became blocked with long-stay patients and because even in a single-bed unit patients acquired staphylococci within 3-7 days of admission. Patients with skin diseases often do not feel ;ill' and resent isolation.