Infection control and bloodstream infection prevention: the perspective of patients receiving hemodialysis.

Patients on hemodialysis, particularly those dialyzed through central lines, are at risk of acquiring bloodstream infections. Strategies to prevent bloodstream infections in patients on dialysis include educating patients about infection prevention, although patients' perspectives on this topic are not known. During focus groups conducted to explore these issues, patients reported that education on infection prevention should begin early in the process of dialysis, and that patients should be actively engaged as partners in infection prevention.