Thoroughly revised and updated for its Fourth Edition, a comprehensive reference on hospital epidemiology and infection control. Written by over 150 leading experts, this new edition examines every type of hospital-acquired (nosocomial) infection and addresses every issue relating to surveillance, prevention, and control of these infections in patients and in healthcare workers. This new edition features new or significantly increased coverage of emerging infectious diseases, avian influenza, governmental regulation of infection control and payment practices related to hospital-acquired infections, molecular epidemiology, the increasing prevalence of community-acquired MRSA in healthcare facilities, system-wide infection control provisions for healthcare systems, hospital infection control issues following natural disasters, and antimicrobial stewardship in reducing the development of antimicrobial-resistant organisms.

Principles of infectious diseases epidemiology -- Modern quantitative epidemiology in the healthcare setting -- Biostatistics for healthcare epidemiology and infection control -- Principles of healthcare epidemiology -- Data collection in healthcare epidemiology -- Practical application of the principles of epidemiology to study design and data analysis -- Meta-analysis and systematic reviews of the literature in healthcare epidemiology and infection control -- Investigation of outbreaks -- Pseudoinfections and pseudo-outbreaks -- Creating a culture of excellence -- Selecting improvement projects -- Conducting successful improvement projects -- Public reporting on healthcare-associated infections -- Working with the news media in public communication. Using the personal computer for healthcare epidemiology -- The electronic health record : An essential technology for healthcare epidemiology -- Healthcare-associated infections related to the use of intravascular devices inserted for short-term vascular access -- Healthcare-associated infections related to use of intravascular devices inserted for long-term vascular access -- Healthcare-associated bloodstream infections -- Healthcare-associated urinary tract infections -- Surgical site infections -- Healthcare-associated pneumonia -- Healthcare-associated sinusitis -- Healthcare-associated gastrointestinal tract infections -- Healthcare-associated burn wound infections -- Healthcare-associated eye infections -- Healthcare-associated central nervous system infections -- Staphylococcus aureus -- Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus -- Coagulase-negative Staphylococci -- Streptococci -- Enterococcus species -- Enterobacteriaceae -- Nonfermentative gram-negative bacilli -- Legionella -- Clostridium difficile -- Mycobacterium tuberculosis -- Nontuberculosis mycobacteria -- Candida -- Filamentous fungi -- Influenza viruses -- Varicella-Zoster virus -- Herpes simplex virus -- Cytomegalovirus -- Cytomegalovirus -- Hepatitis viruses -- Uncommon causes of healthcare-associated infections. Healthcare-associated viral respiratory infections in pediatric patients -- Healthcare-associated bacterial infections of the central nervous system, upper and lower respiratory tracts, and skin in pediatric patients -- Healthcare-associated gastrointestinal tract infections in pediatric patients -- Healthcare-associated measles, mumps, rubella, and human parvovirus B19 -- Healthcare-associated infections in newborn nurseries and neonatal intensive care units -- Healthcare-associated infections acquired in childcare facilities -- Healthcare-associated infections in dental, oral, and macillofacial surgery -- Healthcare-associated infections in obstetric patients -- Healthcare-associated infections in patients with spinal cord injury -- Healthcare associated infections in patients with neoplastic diseases -- Healthcare-associated infections in solid organ transplant recipients -- Infection prevention and control in hematopoietic stem cell transplant patients -- Healthcare-associated infections in anesthesia -- Healthcare-associated infections that complicate invasive procedures in cardiology -- Infection risks of endoscopy -- Control of infections associated with hemodialysis -- Infections associated with peritoneal dialysis -- Infections that complicate the insertion of prosthetic devices -- Healthcare-associated infections related to respiratory therapy -- Healthcare-associated infections following transfusion of blood and blood products -- Healthcare-associated infections related to procedures performed in radiology -- Infection control in gene therapy. Central sterile supply -- Healthcare-associated infections and the environment -- Microbiologic sampling of the environment in healthcare facilities -- Prevention of occupationally acquired viral hepatitis in healthcare workers -- Prevention of occupationally acquired human immunodeficiency virus infection in healthcare workers -- Vaccination of healthcare workers -- Prevention of occupationally acquired diseases of healthcare workers spread by contact, droplet, or airborne routes (other than tuberculosis) -- Prevention of occupationally-acquired healthcare-associated infections in diagnostic laboratories -- Prevention of occupationally acquired infections in prehospital healthcare workers -- Prevention of occupationally-acquired infections in posthospital healthcare workers -- Selection and use of disinfectants in healthcare -- Sterilization and pasteurization in healthcare facilities -- Elements of design aimed at infection prevention and patient safety in the built environment of the healthcare facility -- Prevention of infections related to construction, renovation, and demolition in healthcare facilities -- Design and maintenance of hospital ventilation systems and the prevention of airborne healthcare-associated infections -- Mechanisms of bacterial resistance to antimicrobial agents -- Antimicrobial resistance and healthcare-associated infections -- Antimicrobial stewardship -- A methodologically focused review of the literature in healthcare epidemiology and infection control. Surveillance of healthcare-associated infections -- Isolation of patients with communicable diseases -- Hand washing and hand disinfection -- Education of healthcare workers in the prevention of healthcare-associated infections -- Infection control and the employee health service -- Epidemiology and prevention of healthcare-associated infections related to animals in the hospital -- Role of the microbiology laboratory and molecular epidemiology in healthcare epidemiology and infection control -- Economic analysis in healthcare epidemiology -- Legal issues in healthcare epidemiology and infection control -- Epidemiology and prevention of infections in residents of long-term care facilities -- Epidemiology and prevention of infections in home healthcare -- Infection control in countries with limited resources -- Biological terrorism : An overview -- The state and local response to bioterrorism -- Agents of bioterrorism -- Preparedness for a bioterrorist attack with smallpox.