The latest in the series of Reducing HCAIs conferences was recently hosted by Govtoday, at London’s Mermaid Theatre, tackling key issues in infection prevention and control. LOUISE FRAMPTON reports.
Reducing HCAIs 2014: the worldwide effort enabled senior healthcare clinical and management professionals, from around the country, to join the debate on healthcare-associated infections and the national and international policies which have an important impact. High on the agenda was the prevention of surgical site infection (SSI). Dr Peter Wilson, consultant microbiologist, University College London Hospitals (UCLH), provided an overview of the types of infection that occur, the financial impact of SSI and highlighted some the various approaches to reducing infection.
He pointed out that wound infections place a substantial burden on the health service, costing the UK around £65m per year. In addition, SSI is used as a performance indicator, with league tables produced on a national basis. These can be problematic, however, as there is wide variation in approaches to surveillance, differences in patient populations and levels of post-discharge follow-up.
Dr Wilson explained that each pathogen is associated with its own type of wound infection. The most common is Staphylococcus aureus, which usually presents as a localised infection with lots of pus.
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