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Impact of an Infection Control Program on the Prevalence of Nosocomial Infections at a Tertiary Care Center in Switzerland

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2015

Corina Ebnöther ,
Beate Tanner ,
Flavia Schmid ,
Vittoria La Rocca ,
Ivo Heinzer  and
Thomas Bregenzer
Corina Ebnöther
Affiliation:
Division for Infection Control, Kantonsspital Aarau, Switzerland
Beate Tanner
Affiliation:
Division of Infectious Diseases, Kantonsspital Aarau, Switzerland
Flavia Schmid
Affiliation:
Division of Infectious Diseases, Kantonsspital Aarau, Switzerland
Vittoria La Rocca
Affiliation:
Division for Infection Control, Kantonsspital Aarau, Switzerland
Ivo Heinzer
Affiliation:
Microbiology Laboratory, Kantonsspital Aarau, Switzerland
Thomas Bregenzer*
Affiliation:
Division of Infectious Diseases, Kantonsspital Aarau, Switzerland
*
Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Kantonsspital Aarau, 5000 Aarau, Switzerland (thomas.bregenzer@ksa.ch)
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Abstract

Objective.

To study the impact of a multimodal infection control program on the rate of nosocomial infections at a 550-bed tertiary care center.

Methods.

Before and after the implementation of an infection control program, the rate of nosocomial infection was recorded in time-interval prevalence studies. Hand hygiene compliance was studied before and after the intervention. As a surrogate marker of compliance, the amount of alcohol-based hand rub consumed before the intervention was compared with the amount consumed after the intervention. The intervention included additional staff for infection control, repeated instructions for hand hygiene, new guidelines for preoperative antibiotic prophylaxis, and isolation of patients infected or colonized with multidrug-resistant bacteria.

Results.

The rate of nosocomial infection decreased from approximately 11.7% to 6.8% in 2 years. The rate of hand hygiene compliance increased by 20.0%; it was 59.0% before the intervention and increased to 79.0% afterward. These results correlate with data on the consumption of alcohol-based hand rub, but not with data on the use of antibiotics.

Conclusion.

Within 2 years, a multimodal infection control program intervention such as this one may reduce the rate of nosocomial infection at a tertiary care center by more than one-third and improve both the quality of care and patient outcomes. It may also generate considerable savings. Therefore, such programs should be promoted not only by hospital epidemiologists but also by hospital administrators.

Type
Original Articles
Information
Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology , Volume 29 , Issue 1 , January 2008 , pp. 38 - 43
Copyright
Copyright © The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America 2008

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