This review was limited by the inclusion of only articles in English,
articles focused on existing infection surveillance in primary care
settings in the United States, and search terms used for primary care.
Clearly, it is possible that studies were missed. Nonetheless, we
believe this is the first literature review focused on examining infection
surveillance systems in primary health care. Opportunities
to study the influence of infection surveillance systems across the
care continuum should emerge as the locus of primary care delivery
shifts from small private practices to integrated health care
systems using an EMR system.8 Novel surveillance methods linked
to the primary care setting must be developed not only for infectious
disease surveillance, but also to measure the influence of
infection prevention and control practices and to grow an evidence
base for best practice in primary care.