The State of Infection Surveillance and Control in Canadian Acute Care Hospitals

Nosocomial infections and antibiotic-resistant pathogens cause significant morbidity, mortality, and economic costs. This is a study on infection surveillance and control resources and activities in Canadian acute care hospitals, which have not been assessed in 20 years.

Nosocomial infections and antibiotic-resistant pathogens cause significant morbidity, mortality, and economic costs. For example, rates of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) have increased 10-fold in Canadian hospitals during the past decade.

In frequency among adverse events befalling hospitalized patients, nosocomial infections are second only to medication errors. In the landmark Study on the Efficacy of Nosocomial Infection Control (SENIC), more than 80% of US hospitals completed a detailed infection control survey whereby 338 hospitals and 338,000 patient medical records were intensively studied.

The following four essential components of effective infection control programs were identified: one Full-time Equivalent (FTE) Infection Control Practitioner (ICP) per 250 beds, a physician trained in infection control, intensive surveillance, and intensive control.

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