Little progress has been made in combating hospital infections
http://www.100md.com
《英国医生杂志》
The NHS has failed to confront the problem of hospital acquired infections, focusing too much on methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and failing to adequately implement strategies to fight the spread of infections among patients, says a cross party group of MPs.
The House of Commons Public Accounts Committee this week delivered its highly critical report on reducing the risk of hospital acquired infections. The report examines the progress made by the Department of Health and NHS trusts in controlling rates of infection in hospitals since a similar report by the previous committee in 2000 and a follow-up report by the comptroller and auditor general last year.
MRSA bacterial infection in armpit
Credit: P MARAZZI/SPL
The report concludes that trusts have made little progress in implementing many of the previous committee's recommendations and that a lack of urgency was shown on several key issues, such as improving isolation facilities and reducing bed occupancy rates.
Edward Leigh, chairman of the committee in the previous parliament, said: "More than four years have passed since our predecessor committee first highlighted the paucity of information on the extent and cost of hospital acquired infection. Today we find that little has been done to dispel this fog of ignorance. The truth is that, over the last four years, there has been little serious and effective action to combat hospital acquired infection. It is astonishing that poor ward cleanliness, lax hand-washing practices, a shortage of isolation facilities, and high bed occupancy rates are still plaguing NHS hospitals."
There is evidence that some of the government's policies conflict with the prevention and control of infections, says the report. Seven out of 10 trusts still have bed occupancy rates levels that are higher than the 82% target set by the health department for 2003-4. However, half of senior trust managers blame the high occupancy rates on waiting time targets.
The report also highlights the fact that there is still no mandatory national surveillance and reporting scheme for all hospital acquired infections in England.
Instead the health department introduced mandatory reporting of MRSA bloodstream infections from April 2001. However, these infections account for less than 6% of hospital acquired infections, says the report.(Zosia Kmietowicz)
The House of Commons Public Accounts Committee this week delivered its highly critical report on reducing the risk of hospital acquired infections. The report examines the progress made by the Department of Health and NHS trusts in controlling rates of infection in hospitals since a similar report by the previous committee in 2000 and a follow-up report by the comptroller and auditor general last year.
MRSA bacterial infection in armpit
Credit: P MARAZZI/SPL
The report concludes that trusts have made little progress in implementing many of the previous committee's recommendations and that a lack of urgency was shown on several key issues, such as improving isolation facilities and reducing bed occupancy rates.
Edward Leigh, chairman of the committee in the previous parliament, said: "More than four years have passed since our predecessor committee first highlighted the paucity of information on the extent and cost of hospital acquired infection. Today we find that little has been done to dispel this fog of ignorance. The truth is that, over the last four years, there has been little serious and effective action to combat hospital acquired infection. It is astonishing that poor ward cleanliness, lax hand-washing practices, a shortage of isolation facilities, and high bed occupancy rates are still plaguing NHS hospitals."
There is evidence that some of the government's policies conflict with the prevention and control of infections, says the report. Seven out of 10 trusts still have bed occupancy rates levels that are higher than the 82% target set by the health department for 2003-4. However, half of senior trust managers blame the high occupancy rates on waiting time targets.
The report also highlights the fact that there is still no mandatory national surveillance and reporting scheme for all hospital acquired infections in England.
Instead the health department introduced mandatory reporting of MRSA bloodstream infections from April 2001. However, these infections account for less than 6% of hospital acquired infections, says the report.(Zosia Kmietowicz)