Infection Prevention for the Emergency Department

The emergency department (ED) presents unique challenges to infection control and prevention. Hand hygiene, transmission-based precautions, environmental cleaning, high-level disinfection and sterilization of reusable medical devices, and prevention of health care–associated infections (catheter-associated urinary tract infection, ventilator-associated pneumonia, central line–associated bloodstream infection) are key priorities in ED infection prevention. Effective and sustainable infection prevention strategies tailored to the ED are necessary and achievable. Emergency clinicians can and already play an invaluable role in infection prevention.

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