Infection Control Information for Patients and Families
While receiving medical treatment in a hospital, clinic or long-term care facility such as a nursing home, patients may face the risk of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). These dangerous microorganisms can have devastating emotional, financial and medical effects, and worst of all, they can be deadly.
How to Protect Yourself and Others Every Day from Infection
Help keep you and your loved ones safe from harmful germs by understanding infections and following the best practices to prevent them:
Practice good hand hygiene. Regular hand washing is one of the best ways to remove and prevent the spread of germs to avoid getting sick.
Take antibiotics only when your provider thinks you need them and exactly as prescribed. If you take antibiotics when not needed, you’re exposing yourself to unnecessary side effects and potentially severe future infections.
Stay up to date on vaccinations for flu and other infections to help avoid getting sick.
Incorporate exercise into your daily life and follow a healthy diet.
Patients are vulnerable to HAIs through germs spread in any healthcare setting, including hospitals, same-day surgery centers, outpatient clinics and long-term care facilities like nursing homes. These germs transfer from patient to patient on dirty hands or through the improper use or reuse of equipment.
Be a Safe Patient
Tell your healthcare provider if you were recently hospitalized in another facility, traveled outside the United States for healthcare or were recently sick.
Clean your hands often with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand rub. Make sure everyone cleans their hands before touching you. Remind healthcare workers and your visitors to clean their hands.
Let your doctor check for resistant germs if needed. Hospitals and some healthcare facilities screen patients who risk becoming sick from resistant germs, which helps protect you and those around you.
Allow the housekeeping staff to clean your room while you’re in the healthcare facility, even if it may feel inconvenient.
If your family member is a patient or resident of a nursing home, rehabilitation center or other long-term care facility, they have a higher chance of getting an infection than they likely would at home.
Help keep you and your loved one safe by learning more about HAI risks, symptoms, prevention and where to go with questions or concerns:
With a weakened immune system, an infection puts your loved one at risk for sepsis. As sepsis creates a chain reaction throughout the body, it can dramatically drop blood pressure, leading to tissue damage, organ failure and death. Identifying and treating sepsis early will improve the chance of survival.
Anyone can develop sepsis, but some people are at higher risk:
Adults 65 or older
People with weakened immune systems
People with chronic medical conditions, such as diabetes, lung disease, cancer and kidney disease
People with recent severe illness or hospitalization
People who survived sepsis
Children younger than one
A person with sepsis might have one or more of the following symptoms:
High heart rate or weak pulse
Fever, shivering or feeling very cold
Confusion or disorientation
Shortness of breath
Extreme pain or discomfort
Clammy or sweaty skin
If your loved one is experiencing any of these symptoms, they should immediately be evaluated by a healthcare provider.
Help prevent the spread of harmful germs that can cause infections while protecting you and your loved one from sepsis:
Keep hands clean.
Take antibiotics only as prescribed.
Watch for signs of infection and its complications. Get care right away — do not delay.
Tell the doctor if you suspect an infection, if your condition is not getting better or if it is getting worse.
Watch out for life-threatening diarrhea caused by C. difficile. If taking an antibiotic, let the doctor know if three or more diarrhea episodes occur in 24 hours.
Vaccinate against flu and other infections to avoid complications.
Find more information about risks, signs and steps to protect against sepsis on the CDC’s website.
Prescription and over-the-counter medications are important in treating many conditions and diseases. When they are no longer needed, they should be appropriately disposed of to avoid harm to others and the environment.
Permanent collection boxes are available in more than 300 community pharmacies and local law enforcement centers across Iowa. Find the one closest to you.
Patient and Family Fact Sheets
Learn more about different types of HAIs and what to do if you or a family member becomes sick.
