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Isolation for the control of infection in skin wards

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 October 2009

W. C. Noble
Affiliation:
St John's Hospital for Diseases of the Skin, Institute of Dermatology, Homerton Grove, London E9 6BX
Pamela M. White
Affiliation:
St John's Hospital for Diseases of the Skin, Institute of Dermatology, Homerton Grove, London E9 6BX
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Summary

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An isolation policy in a hospital for skin diseases is reported. Patients carrying penicillin- and tetracycline-resistant organisms were to be isolated in single rooms, though barrier nursing was not practised. The policy failed because the single beds rapidly became blocked with long-stay patients and because even in a single-bed unit patients acquired staphylococci within 3–7 days of admission. Patients with skin diseases often do not feel ‘ill’ and resent isolation.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1972

References

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