This Open access book offers updated and revised information on vessel health and preservation (VHP), a model concept first published in poster form in 2008 and in JVA in 2012, which has received a great deal of attention, especially in the US, UK and Australia. The book presents a model and a new way of thinking applied to vascular access and administration of intravenous treatment, and shows how establishing and maintaining a route of access to the bloodstream is essential for patients in acute care today. Until now, little thought has been given to an intentional process to guide selection, insertion and management of vascular access devices (VADs) and by default actions are based on crisis management when a quickly selected VAD fails. The book details how VHP establishes a framework or pathway model for each step of the patient experience, intentionally guiding, improving and eliminating risk when possible. The evidence points to the fact that reducing fragmentation, establishing a pathway, and teaching the process to all stakeholders reduces complications with intravenous therapy, improves efficiency and diminishes cost. As such this book appeals to bedside nurses, physicians and other health professionals.

Infection control is a major issue in clinical practice. The revised third edition of this highly successful book provides a comprehensive guide to the principles and practice of infection control and prevention, and the basic elements of microbiology and epidemiology that underpin them. The contents are firmly based in clinical practice and are relevant to both hospital and community settings. The information is research-based and extensively referenced and therefore provides an invaluable resource for evidence-based practice. Presentation is clear, concise and accessible to a wide audience including diploma and degree course students, nurses and allied health professionals working in clinical settings, and infection control specialists. This revised third edition includes completely updated source material and references, along with extensive revision of chapters on prevention of surgical site infection, IV device and urine catheter associated infections to incorporate the most recent evidence. There are updates to many other sections including new microbiological methods, application of protective isolation, Clostridium difficile, gram negative pathogens, VHF and blood-borne viruses, the management of sharps injuries and management of waste, as well as entirely new sections on: . Implementation of infection prevention and control policies . Infection risks of water systems . Protective clothing - use of gloves and masks . Hand hygiene compliance . Prevention of ventilator-associated pneumonia . Management of norovirus outbreaks . Decontamination of isolation rooms . Emerging pathogens including MERS-CoV and Zika . Antimicrobial stewardship

This book is a practical guide for preventing occupational exposures to bloodborne and infectious disease in health care. It is a timely and essential resource given that people working in healthcare settings sustain a higher incidence of occupational illness than any other industry sector, and at the time of publication of this book we are in the midst of a global pandemic of COVID-19. While the guide is focused on health care primarily, it would be useful for preventing exposures to essential workers in many other industries as well. The guide offers easy-to-follow instruction, all in one place, for creating, implementing, and evaluating occupational health and safety programs. Readers have practical information that they can use now to either build a new program or expand an existing one that protects workers from occupationally associated illness and infection. With a focus on the public health significance of building better, safer programs in health care, the book provides not just the evidence-based or data-driven reasoning behind building successful programs, but also includes sample programs, plans, checklists, campaigns, and record-keeping and surveillance tools. Topics explored among the chapters include: • Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Regulatory Compliance • Other Regulatory Requirements, National Standards, and Accreditation • Performing a Hazard Assessment and Building an Exposure Control Plan • Engineering Controls and Safer Medical Devices • Personal Protective Equipment Placement and Use • Facing a Modern Pandemic Preventing Occupational Exposures to Infectious Disease in Health Care is a comprehensive resource for both seasoned and novice professionals with primary, secondary, or ancillary responsibility for occupational or employee health and safety, infection prevention, risk management, or environmental health and safety in a variety of healthcare or patient care settings. It also would appeal to those working in public health, nursing, medical, or clinical technical trades with an interest in infection prevention and control and/or occupational health and infectious disease.

An official publication of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. (APIC), the highly successful Infection Control in Home Care and Hospice helps home care providers assess the infection control needs of their organization, and develop home care infection and surveillance programs. The Second Edition has been thoroughly updated and revised with the latest CDC Guidelines on infection control in home care, including Hand Hygiene, Prevention of IV-related Infections, and the 2004 Isolation Guideline.