Effort to Control Hospital Infections

In an analysis made public this week, Consumers Union, the publisher of Consumer Reports Magazine, compared data compiled by the Federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services showing compliance with infection control measures for hospitals in Maryland and Virginia.
Consumers Union is advocating a bill before Congress that will require hospitals to publish their infection rates. The analysis determined that the hospitals in both states generally performed about as well as hospitals nationwide. But, according to the study, the hospitals in each state varied greatly in their adherence to three measures of practice quality. The three infection control measures are:
1. How often preventative antibiotics are given in the hour before surgery;
2. How often the right antibiotic is chosen; and
3. How often the drug therapy is halted within 24 hours.
It has been shown that giving patients an appropriate antibiotic in the hour before surgery reduces infection risk. Yet, not all hospitals perform such preventative measures with consistency. For example, one hospital in Virginia reported that it gave 97% of its surgery patients preventative antibiotics in the hour prior to their operations. At the other extreme, another Virginia hospital reported that it gave patients antibiotics in only 22% of its cases.
According to Consumers Union, ending antibiotic treatment on time is equally critical. Studies have shown that therapy that lasts longer than a day can breed antibiotic resistant bacteria, making any infection that does occur more dangerous. The study reported that in Maryland, one hospital ended antibiotic therapy within the appropriate time in 90% of its cases. At the other extreme, another Maryland hospital ended the therapy appropriately in only 20% of its cases.
Hospital-related infections are a major problem in this country. An estimated 1.7 million hospital patients develop infections each year. According to the latest results from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 99,000 Americans die each year from hospital-related infections. The actual numbers are unknown because hospitals are not required in most states to report infections.