title: Infection Prevention and Control in the Podiatric Medical Setting: Challenges to Providing Consistently Safe Care.
abstract: Unsafe practices are an underestimated contributor to the disease burden of bloodborne viruses. Outbreaks associated with failures in basic infection prevention have been identified in nonhospital settings with increased frequency in the United States during the past 15 years, representing an alarming trend and indicating that the challenge of providing consistently safe care is not always met. As has been the case with most medical specialties, there have been public health investigations by state and local health departments, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have identified some instances of unsafe practices that have placed podiatric medical patients at risk for viral, bacterial, and fungal infections. All health-care providers, including podiatric physicians, must make infection prevention a priority in any setting in which care is delivered.
authors.affiliation: a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion.
authors.forename: Matthew E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Wise
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bancroft
authors.forename: Ernest J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Clement
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hathaway
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: High
authors.forename: Moon
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Emily
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lutterloh
authors.forename: Joseph F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Perz
authors.forename: Lynne M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Sehulster
authors.forename: Clara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tyson
authors.forename: Mary Beth
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: White-Comstock
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Montana