RESUMO
Infection control is a discipline that applies epidemiologic and scientific principles and statistical analysis to prevent or reduce rates of nosocomial infections. Effective infection control programs proved to reduce the rates of nosocomial infections and to be cost-effective. It is a key component of the broader discipline of hospital epidemiology. As an example, the anesthesia team acts every day in a highly complex and high risk environment for the transmission of pathogenic organisms and induction of infectious complication. In order to achieve the main goal of preventing or reducing the risk of hospital-acquired infections, a hospital epidemiology program should have the following oversight functions and responsibilities: Surveillance, either hospital-wide or targeted Education about prevention of infections. Outbreak investigations cleaning, disinfection and sterilization of equipments and disposal of infectious waste hospital employee health, specifically after exposure to either blood-borne or respiratory pathogens, Review of antibiotic utilization and its relationship to local antibiotic resistance patterns, Prevention of infections due to percutaneous intravascular devices. Development of infection control policies and procedures oversight on the use of new products that directly or indirectly relate to the risk of nosocomial infections