Outbreak management in health care facilities

: An outbreak of healthcare-associated infection is a disastrous event. Thus, it is essential to understand an overview of outbreak management. Cautious management is needed especially for cancer patients, due to their high risk of acquiring healthcare-associated infections. An outbreak is defined as a healthcare-associated infection when its frequency clearly exceeds normal expectancy. The early detection of an outbreak through appropriate surveillance and collections of sentinel events is a primary step in its management. After detection, infection prevention and control measures must be rapidly implemented. An epidemiological investigation is concurrently conducted to clarify the overall picture, estimate the source and route of infection, and establish recommendations. In addition, the stress of healthcare providers, relationships with public health officials, and risk communication must be considered. However, the capacities of epidemiological investigations are generally limited due to insufficient healthcare resources for outbreak management. Basic infection prevention measures and early response are the most efficient approaches for preventing future outbreaks.