What is a wound infection?
Wound infection is the invasion of a wound by proliferating microorganisms to a level that invokes a local and/or systemic response in the host. The presence of microorganisms within the wound causes local tissue damage and impedes wound healing.
In this video, Professor Karen Ousey describes the terminologies associated with wound infection.
Wound infections can cause:
• Pain
• Pyrexia
• Delayed wound healing
• Additional costs associated with antibiotic usage
To prevent this, it is crucial to implement aseptic techniques of wound care.
Pressure ulcer lumbar region displaying locoregional infection with Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
Hands are the main pathways of infection during health care. Hand washing is therefore the most important measure to avoid the transmission of harmful pathogens and prevent health care-associated infections. The NHS website provides guidelines on how to wash your hands effectively, and this can be found here.
Additionally, watch this training video by WHO showing the steps to hand-washing with soap and water:
This is an additional video, hosted on YouTube.
Please access and review the paper on principles of best practice by the International Wound Infection Institute.
Antimicrobial Stewardship in Wound Management
Antimicrobial Stewardship in Wound Management
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