Frontline in the fight against infection

In many nations, old killers like TB have adapted to antibiotics and threaten vulnerable populations. New strains of influenza continue to emerge, challenging even the most well equipped healthcare systems. Threats arrive faster than new medicines can be developed and are often exacerbated by overuse or misapplication of previously reliable drugs. This brings the fight against infection to the frontlines of care, where basic preventive measures, if applied systematically by caregivers, have great effect. The key is organisational readiness and consistency of action.

However, healthcare acquired infections (HAIs) are a serious threat to developing nations and technologically advanced countries alike. In the United States, for example, HAIs are estimated to cause nearly 100,000 deaths every year.¹ In the EU, 5% of inpatients develop HAIs while receiving care, leading to 37,000 deaths per year.² In developing countries, the infection rates are up to three as high.³ Growing evidence shows that basic infection-prevention protocols are not adequately followed in many hospitals. Thus, the battle against healthcare acquired infection requires as much organisational science as it does medical science.

1. US Dept. of Health and Human Services Semiannual Report (2009)
2. European Centre for Disease Prevention & Control – Healthcare Associated Infections (HAI)
3. WHO review study of 220 previous studies (2010).