Patient placement
Patients must be promptly assessed for infection risk on arrival at the care area, eg inpatient/outpatient/care home, (if possible, prior to accepting a patient from another care area) and should be continuously reviewed throughout their stay.
This assessment should influence placement decisions in accordance with clinical/care need(s).
Patients who may present a cross-infection risk include those:
- with diarrhoea, vomiting, an unexplained rash, fever or respiratory symptoms
- known to have been previously positive with a Multi-drug Resistant Organism (MDRO), eg MRSA, CPE
- who have been an inpatient in any hospital in the UK or abroad or are a known epidemiological link to a carrier of
Further information can be found in the patient placement literature review.
Manual contents
Introduction
Chapter 1: Standard infection control precautions (SICPs)
- Patient placement
- Hand hygiene
- Respiratory and cough hygiene
- Personal protective equipment (PPE)
- Safe management of care equipment
- Safe management of the care environment
- Safe management of linen
- Safe management of blood and body fluid spillages
- Safe disposal of waste (including sharps)
- Occupational safety: prevention of exposure (including sharps injuries)
Chapter 2: Transmission based precautions (TBPs)
- Patient placement/assessment of infection risk
- Safe management of patient care equipment in an isolation room/cohort area
- Safe management of the care environment
- Personal protective equipment (PPE): respiratory protective equipment (RPE)
- Aerosol generating procedures
- Infection prevention and control when caring for the deceased
Download a PDF copy of the National infection prevention and control manual for England