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An Approach to the Study of Potentially Preventable Nosocomial Infections

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2015

José Rosselló-Urgell ,
Josep Vaqué-Rafart ,
Eduardo Hermosilla-Pérez ,
Alejandro Allepuz-Palau  and
EPINE Working Group
José Rosselló-Urgell*
Affiliation:
Servicio de Medicina Preventiva y Epidemiologia, Hospital Universitario Vall d'Hebron, Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
Josep Vaqué-Rafart
Affiliation:
Servicio de Medicina Preventiva y Epidemiologia, Hospital Universitario Vall d'Hebron, Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
Eduardo Hermosilla-Pérez
Affiliation:
Servicio de Medicina Preventiva y Epidemiologia, Hospital Universitario Vall d'Hebron, Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
Alejandro Allepuz-Palau
Affiliation:
Servicio de Medicina Preventiva y Epidemiologia, Hospital Universitario Vall d'Hebron, Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
EPINE Working Group
Affiliation:
Servicio de Medicina Preventiva y Epidemiologia, Hospital Universitario Vall d'Hebron, Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
*
Servicio de Medicina Preventiva y Epidemiologia (edificio Escuela de Enfermeras, planta baja), Hospital Universitario Vall d'Hebron, P° Vall d'Hebron 119-129, 08035 Barcelona, Spain
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Abstract

Objective:

To analyze a method that identifies potentially preventable nosocomial infections, as a tool to evaluate the performance of infection control programs through quantification of their potential for reducing nosocomial infections.

Methods:

The database of the Study of the Prevalence of Nosocomial Infections in Spain (EPINE) was reanalyzed. The method was based on the use of false negatives of the classification table obtained from application of a fixed multiple logistic regression model, as an estimator of the number of potentially preventable nosocomial infections.

Results:

The calculated number of patients with preventable infections was 7,493, which constituted 21.6% of the infected patients. Among hospital areas, intensive care had the lowest preventability rate (4.6%), whereas gynecology and obstetrics had the highest (40.6%). There was a significant inverse exposure-effect relationship between the proportion of preventable infections and the National Nosocomial Infections Surveillance (NNIS) System risk index. No correlation was observed between the prevalence of patients with nosocomial infection and the percentage of preventable infections.

Conclusion:

This analysis suggests that fewer nosocomial infections may be preventable in Spanish hospitals than previously assumed.

Type
Original Articles
Information
Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology , Volume 25 , Issue 1 , January 2004 , pp. 41 - 46
Copyright
Copyright © The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America 2004

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