How do we prevent patients from getting infections in hospitals?
Introduction
The researchers from the Richard Wells Research Centre are at the forefront of developing national evidence-based guidelines to prevent infection in healthcare settings in England and undertaking primary research to inform practice and help to implement guidance.
Details
The need for national guidelines on the prevention of healthcare-associated infections was first identified by the Department of Health in 1998 due to the growing problem of antibiotic-resistant micro-organisms or ‘superbugs’ in hospitals. A nurse-led research team developed the first national guidelines which were published in 2001 and have been updated periodically since that time.
The ‘Epic’ guidelines are accredited by the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and are used by NHS Trusts in England to inform their infection prevention and control policies, as well as by other practitioners working to prevent infection globally.
The implementation of guidelines is as important as their development and the researchers in the Richard Wells Research Centre are engaged in research that informs practice and implementation.
This includes studies that focus on hand hygiene and the use of non-clinical gloves; the prevention of catheter-associated urinary tract infections; patient experience of infection prevention and control and fundamental aspects of care that impact the development of infection.
The research team and other collaborators
This research is led by Professor Heather Loveday - Professor of Evidence-based Healthcare
Other members of the research team include:
Carolynn Greene - Research Assistant
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