Surveillance of hospital acquired infections in veterinary practices

Rebecca Jordan
Wednesday, March 2, 2022

The importance of surveillance of hospital-acquired infections (HAI) is often overlooked within the veterinary community, with limited research available, resulting in this vital step being overlooked. When carried out correctly, it allows a practice to accumulate data on the rates of HAIs and ascertain when further action is required. Without these data, practices are often unaware of the severity of their problem. All practices should have an infection control ambassador or committee appointed to ensure these statistics are used correctly and shared with all team members. This article will examine current literature available and determine the pros and cons of each surveillance method and how they may be implemented.

Figure 1. Flow chart to show key development stages of a surveillance programme.
Figure 1. Flow chart to show key development stages of a surveillance programme.

Subscribe to get full access to The Veterinary Nurse

Thank you for vising The Veterinary nurse and reading our archive of expert clinical content. If you would like to read more from the leading peer-reviewed journal for veterinary nurses, you can start your subscription today for just £26.

Subscribing will enable you to:

  • Stay up-to-date with current thinking and best practice in veterinary medicine
  • Enhance your knowledge and understanding of all key clinical topics
  • Achieve the mandatory requirement of 45 hours' documented CPD over a three-year period
Subscribe now

Already registered? - Sign in here

Download Now

Keep up to date with The Veterinary Nurse!

Sign up to The Veterinary Nurse's regular newsletters and keep up-to-date with the very latest clinical research and CPD we publish each month.