Practical Considerations in Hospital Infection Prevention

Inpatient infection prevention practices vary widely between health care institutions, on a national and international scale. Transmissible infectious diseases pose a risk to vulnerable inpatient populations as well as hospital staff and visitors. Maintaining a high index of suspicion, along with early identification and prompt isolation procedures of patients with these conditions can greatly reduce the likelihood of transmission. We review the presenting features and recommended infection prevention practices for six transmissible infectious diseases known to pose risks to patients, staff and visitors: scabies, tuberculosis, respiratory viruses, varicella zoster virus, Clostridioides difficile , and syphilis.