Nosocomial Infections in Spain: Results of Five Nationwide Serial Prevalence Surveys (EPINE Project, 1990 to 1994)

Abstract

The EPINE project provides a uniform tool for performing limited surveillance of nosocomial infections in most Spanish acute-care hospitals. Its use helps to spread an accepted set of definitions and methods for nosocomial infection control in the Spanish healthcare system. The surveys indicated that the prevalence of nosocomial infections has been reduced over the last 5 years in a core sample of Spanish hospitals.

Surveillance of healthcare-associated infections in Indonesian hospitals

“…Populations reported in other studies were older: 37-52 years. 8,11 Median length of hospital stay before the survey in the present study was six days, which is comparable with other studies. 16,18,28,31 Few patients in the present study stayed in an ICU (1% in Hospital A and 2% in Hospital B), compared with 1-45% in other studies.…”

“…The prevalence of HAI varied greatly and the type of HAI studied and the method of diagnosis differed. 6,15 Most studies were from Western European countries, [7][8][9][10][13][14][15][17][18][19]21,[24][25][26][27]29 with three studies from Eastern Europe, 16,28,31 three studies from the Middle East, 22,23,30 three studies from non-Western countries 6,11,12,32 and one study from New Zealand. 20 No recently published crosssectional studies from South-east Asia were found.…”

Exposure to extrinsic risk factors in prevalence surveys of hospital-acquired infections: a methodological approach

“…The diversity of methodological approaches that exists for the study of risk factors in prevalence surveys [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11] is evidence of the lack of consensus. The considerable effort required to obtain retrospective clinical information, and the risk of error, may also explain the presence of a variety of approaches.…”

The importance of the day of the week and duration of data collection in prevalence surveys of nosocomial infections

“…Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) criteria for diagnosing infections 14,15 are used, along with previously-described slight modifications. 9 Information about demographic data, presence or absence of intrinsic risk factors (coma, renal failure, diabetes, neoplasm, chronic lung disease, immunodeficiency, neutropenia, hepatic cirrhosis, drug addiction, obesity, malnutrition), as well as information on the presence or absence of extrinsic risk factors (open or closed urinary drainage system, peripheral vascular catheter, central venous catheter, peripherically-inserted central venous catheter, parenteral nutrition, tracheostomy, mechanical ventilation, nasogastric tube, immunosupressive therapy, umbilical catheter for neonates) are also collected. Additionally, data are assembled regarding infections and both the number and type of diagnoses are collected for all inpatients at the time of the survey.…”

“…In Spain, a national prevalence survey of nosocomial infections (EPINE) has been carried out once a year since 1990. 9 The data-collection protocol specifies that the ideal survey is to be performed within one day. However, it has also been taken into account that difficulties in performing the survey within a single day in most hospitals have permitted staff to collect survey data over an allotted two-week time period.…”