Isolation system for General Hospitals. Control of Infection Group, Northwick Park Hospital and Clinical Research Centre

Abstract

A four-category isolation system has been used for three years. It is based on the principle that different precautions are needed against different diseases. There are three types of source isolation and one of protective isolation. Coloured door cards indicate the main precautions on the front and the main diseases to which they apply on the back. The system encourages application of effective precautions without waste of effort on those that are irrelevant to some diseases.