Infection risk is recognised as a challenge to the healthcare system throughout the world. Drug resistant microbes are on the rise, presenting serious new threats to the healthcare system. As nations promote patient mobility and medical tourism, infection risk spreads across borders.
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, hospital 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 hospital-acquired infection requires as much organisational science as it does medical science.
- US Dept. of Health and Human Services Semiannual Report (2009)
- European Centre for Disease Prevention & Control – Healthcare Associated Infections (HAI)
- WHO review study of 220 previous studies (2010).
DNV Managing Infection Risk programme
DNV’s Managing Infection Risk programme addresses the need for systemic preparedness, not just individual or departmental expertise. This is especially important as hospitals struggle to boost compliance with basic infection-prevention protocols (such as hand washing and cross contamination from clothing).
As infectious bacteria develop resistance to antibiotics, it is crucial that hospitals systematcially protect patients, caregivers and communities. A structured, organsisation-wide approach is needed for surveillance, response and remediation of nosocomial infections. DNV professionals audit a hospital’s current processes and work closely with stakeholders of from each department to create hospital-wide improvement plans.
The Managing Infection Risk standard is now being piloted in three organisations and will be finalised and ready for publication in December 2011.
Biorisk expertise applied to the hospital setting
DNV is a leader in biorisk management and has helped set standards for effective biorisk strategy. This work encompasses both microbiological laboratory risk assessments and the development of the first internationally recognised management standard to specifically address hazards associated with laboratories at all containment levels.
This expertise is now being coupled with our understanding or clinical organisations, hospital accreditation and disease specific certifications to develop an infection control standard that is applicable to the hospital setting.
More information on our biorisk expertise can be found here. The partnerships section of this site describes some of our work with key global organisations.