INFECTION-CONTROL IN THE OUTPATIENT SETTING

This article discusses aspects of ambulatory care that increase the di fficulty of practicing infection control in this setting or that requi re infection control staff to use different methods than they would us e in the inpatient setting. The article reviews basic infection contro l precautions that apply to the outpatient setting in general and spec ific precautions that apply to dialysis centers and physical therapy p rograms. The article also describes outbreaks that have occurred in th e outpatient setting, defines the deficiencies in infection control pr actice that caused the outbreaks, and discusses methods to prevent tra nsmission of pathogens in the outpatient setting.