title: The role of the laboratory in infection prevention and control programs in long-term-care facilities for the elderly.
abstract: Hospital infection prevention and control programs rely extensively on diagnostic microbiology laboratory testing. However, specimens for microbiological evaluation are less likely to be obtained from elderly residents of long-term-care facilities (LTCFs). In this article, issues regarding laboratory utilization and the potential role of the microbiology laboratory in infection prevention and control programs in LTCFs are reviewed. The role of the laboratory in infection surveillance, in the management of antimicrobial resistance, and in outbreak investigation are highlighted.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Sunnybrook and Women's College Health Sciences Centre, North York, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: A E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Simor
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000517:prevention & control; D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial; D006707:Homes for the Aged / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D017053:Infection Control / Q000458:organization & administration*; D007753:Laboratories / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008828:Microbiological Techniques; D011159:Population Surveillance; D017751:Safety Management; D013048:Specimen Handling; D014481:United States