What is the best action a nurse can take to prevent infection?

These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we will not know when you have visited our site, and will not be able to monitor its performance.

Infection prevention and control is one of the first topics introduced in nursing programs, yet its main tenets are often lost or forgotten. There has never been a better time to:

  • Wash your hands thoroughly and often.  See CDC’s Hand Hygiene in Healthcare Settings https://www.cdc.gov/handhygiene/ for specifics.
  • If you are ill, stay home and/or seek health care as appropriate,
  • Cover your cough and sneeze with a tissue, dispose of the tissue, then thoroughly wash your hands.
  • Ensure that you are current on all of your immunizations.
  • Always use appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) when interacting with patients.
  • Remember and follow the hierarchy of controls for occupational hazards.  See this link from the CDC for more https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/hierarchy/default.html.

Better health begins with better hand hygiene 

We know it but do we practice it?  Now is the time to ensure this basic public health tenet.  CDC’s Hand Hygiene in Healthcare Settings   website  https://www.cdc.gov/handhygiene/   can help. 

Update on Coronavirus (COVID-19) 

To keep informed on COVID-19, visit the CDC’s dedicated webpages https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html and ANA’s website https://www.nursingworld.org/practice-policy/work-environment/health-safety/disaster-preparedness/coronavirus/.  

ANA Resources

  • Immunize website

  • Corona Virus Disease (COVID-10)

  • Sharps Injury Prevention

Infection Prevention & Control Resources

  • New as of 7/19/19 CDC/STRIVE Infection Control Training courses offering free CE

  • NICE Network webinar: "Disaster Preparedness through the Seasons"

  • NICE Network webinar: "Device Reprocessing and Sterilization"

  • NICE Network webinar: "The Importance of Collaboration between Nurses and Environmental Services"

  • Infection Prevention and Control Infographic

    pdf (2.39MB)

  • ANA/APIC Resource Center

  • CDC’s 2018 National and State Healthcare-Associated Infection Progress Report

  • Personal Protective Equipment for Preventing Contact Transmission of Pathogens: Innovations from CDC’s Prevention Epicenters Program

  • CDC’s Infection Control in Healthcare Personnel: Infrastructure and Routine Practices for Occupational Infection Prevention and Control Services (2019)

  • AHRQ’s Healthcare-Associated Infections Program

  • APIC’s Infection Prevention and You website

  • CDC’s Clean Hands Count Campaign

  • CDC’s Influenza (Flu) website

  • CDC’s Proper N95 Respirator Use for Respiratory Protection Preparedness (blog)

  • OSHA’s Bloodborne Pathogens and Needlestick Prevention website

  • OSHA’s Infectious Diseases website (inclusive of healthcare workers)

  • OSHA’s Personal Protective Equipment website

Nursing Infection Control Education Network

ANA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) partnered with 20 organizations to develop the Nursing Infection Control Education Network (NICE Network). The NICE Network sought to empower nurses to protect themselves and their patients by providing real-time infection prevention and control training to U.S. nurses. The goals of the training programs developed through the NICE Network were to improve adherence to infection prevention and control practices and enhance the confidence of nurses to care for patients with Ebola and other highly contagious diseases.

Antibiotic Stewardship Resources

  • FDA statement on declining sales/distribution of antimicrobial drugs for food animals [December 18, 2018]

  • ANA & CDC white paper: The Role of Registered Nurses in Hospital Antibiotic Stewardship Practices

  • NICE Network webinar: Nurses Role in Antibiotic Stewardship

  • Progress and Opportunities, 2018 Update

  • CDC's Core Elements of Hospital Antibiotic Stewardship Programs

  • U.S. Antibiotic Awareness Week

  • CDC's antibiotic Resistance & Patient Safety Portal

NICE Network Organizations

  • Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses (AMSN)

  • American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN)

  • American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN)

  • American Association of Nurse Anesthetists

  • American Association of Occupational Health Nurses (AAOHN)

  • American Nephrology Nurses' Association (ANNA)

  • ANA / California

  • Association for Women's Health, Obstetrics and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN)

  • Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN)

  • Association of Rehabilitation Nurses (ARN)

  • Emergency Nurses Association (ENA)

  • Infusion Nurses Society (INS)

  • National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists (NACNS)

  • National Association of Directors of Nursing Administration (NADONA)

  • National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners

  • National Association of Orthopedic Nurses (NAON)

  • National Association of School Nurses (NASN)

  • National Student Nurses Association (NSNA)

  • The New Jersey State Nurses Association (NJSNA)

  • Oncology Nursing Society (ONS)

You are now leaving the American Nurses Foundation

The American Nurses Foundation is a separate charitable organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. The Foundation does not engage in political campaign activities or communications.

The Foundation expressly disclaims any political views or communications published on or accessible from this website.

What are the proper nursing actions to treat and prevent infection?

Nursing Interventions for Risk for Infection.
Maintain strict asepsis for dressing changes, wound care, intravenous therapy, and catheter handling. ... .
Ensure that any articles used are properly disinfected or sterilized before use. ... .
Wash hands or perform hand hygiene before having contact with the patient..

What are the 3 most important actions to prevent infection?

Wash your hands with soap and water throughout the day. Get recommended vaccinations to prevent infectious diseases such as measles and chickenpox. Practice safer sex to protect against sexually transmitted infections (STIs) Stay home when ill.

What is the most effective action in the prevention of infection?

Wash your hands well Washing hands properly is one of the most important and effective ways of stopping the spread of infections and illnesses. Wash your hands thoroughly using water and plain soap.

Which nursing action is most effective in controlling the spread of infection?

Hand hygiene is the most important measure to prevent the spread of infections among patients and DHCP. Education and training programs should thoroughly address indications and techniques for hand hygiene practices before performing routine and oral surgical procedures.