The Infection Process

Course overview

This course offers students the opportunity to study about the infection process. Although many of the approximately 9 million health care workers in the United States are employed in hospitals, more and more are serving in nursing homes, outpatient and emergency care clinics, and patients? homes. Any person providing health care can acquire infections from, or transmit infections to, patients, coworkers, household members and/or other community contacts. Health care providers can also spread infections from patient to patient. To protect themselves, their patients, and others from infection, health care workers should consistently use Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)-required and Centers for Disease Controls and Prevention (CDC)-recommended infection control strategies. By doing so, they can interrupt the infection process.