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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 21 October 2010
This review provides an update on current evidence surrounding the epidemiology, treatment and prevention of non-respiratory infections in care homes. It covers urinary tract infection (UTI), methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), decubitus ulcers, scabies, tinea infections and viral and bacterial gastroenteritis. The care home sector provides a unique ecological niche for infections, housing frail older people with multiple co-morbidities and frequent contact with healthcare services in a semi-closed environment. This leads to differences in the diagnosis and management of infections – particularly of outbreaks – when compared with community-dwelling counterparts. It is essential that care home staff play a role in the early recognition, isolation and treatment of infections, but they are often not trained as healthcare professionals – this presents a challenge to systematized response. Effective interface between care homes, public health and infection control services are essential to the delivery of care, yet it is not clear how to structure such links most effectively.