Infection control in operating theatres.

The operating theatre complex is the heart of any major surgical hospital. Good operating theatre design meets the functional needs of theatre care professionals. Operating theatre design must pay careful consideration to traffic patterns, the number and configuration of nearby operating rooms, the space required for staff, administration and storage, provisions for sterile processing and systems to control airborne contaminants (Wan et al 2011). There have been infection control issues with private finance initiative built operating theatres (Unison 2003, Ontario Health Coalition 2005). The aim of this article is to address these issues as they relate to infection control and prevention.