Infection prevention and control: critical strategies for nursing practice

Infection prevention and control (IPC) is essential in nursing practice to safeguard patient health and reduce healthcare-associated infections. This article explores IPC strategies, including hand hygiene, the use of personal protective equipment, environmental cleaning, safe injection practices, and antimicrobial stewardship. It discusses the implementation challenges and solutions, such as ensuring compliance through education, monitoring and strong leadership. IPC measures are crucial in preventing infections such as catheter-associated urinary tract infections, central line-associated bloodstream infections, surgical site infections, and ventilator-associated pneumonia. By integrating personalised IPC strategies into nursing practice, healthcare providers can significantly improve infection control outcomes and enhance overall patient safety and quality of care.