Fundamentals of Infection Prevention and Control in the Operating Department

Healthcare associated infections and more specifically surgical site infections, represent one of the biggest challenges facing practitioners in the perioperative environment. This chapter addresses the key points related to the causes of infection, and how they can be prevented. Infections are caused by pathogenic organisms, consequently, it is important to understand how they enter the body. The chain of infection model describes a series of links that outlines how infections can spread and provides a foundation to understand how they can be prevented. It is essential that perioperative practitioners understand how to break the chain of infection as well as the consequences of not doing so.