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Hand hygiene compliance among HCWs, hospital visitors problematic in Greek hospitals

Written on . Posted in 2015

Kouni S. Pediatr Infect Dis J. 2014; doi:10.1097/INF.000000000000376.

Recent data show that two pediatric hospitals in Greece had low rates of hand hygiene, supporting the notion that health care-associated infection rates in Greece are among the highest in Europe.

Hand hygiene is a significant and timely issue in Greece. The economic crisis has increased financial burden of public hospitals, which has led to understaffing, lack of supplies, increased admissions, and crowding, according to Sofia Kouni, MD, MSc, of the University of Athens School of Medicine, Athens, Greece, and colleagues.

Hospital-acquired infections in Greece: a real, but manageable problem

Written on . Posted in 2016

Hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) are infections that are acquired by patients during their stay in a hospital or health care facility. Based on recent data from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), approximately 6% of hospitalized patients in Europe develop HAIs. With the total number of patients with HAIs in Europe rising to 3.2 million for the year 2011-2012, it is clear that this is a major problem for public health. All hospitalized patients are potentially in risk of HAI, but the risk is particularly high in intensive care units (ICUs) where, according to European data, about 1 in 5 patients exhibits HAI. The majority of these infections is caused by bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics, as a result of the excessive use of antibiotics.
ECDC data shows that about 1 in 10 hospitalized patients (~9%) in Greece develops HAI, placing it among the European countries with the highest rate of HAI occurrence. The occurrence rate of HAIs is dramatically higher in ICUs for adults and newborns, reaching 50% and 30% respectively. Unfortunately, Greece ranks among the top countries in Europe in HAIs that are caused by resistant germs and first in the consumption of antibiotics in hospitals (54.7%).

14-20 November: World Antibiotic Awareness Week

Written on . Posted in 2016

This year the World Antibiotic Awareness Week will held from 14-20 November 2016- a global initiative to improve understanding of the antimicrobial resistance problem and change the way antibiotics are used. Antibiotic resistance happens when bacteria change and become resistant to the antibiotics used to treat the infections they cause.

The flu season starts

Written on . Posted in 2016

Winter is coming, and so is flu. It’s a cliché but like all clichés it is true and should not be overlooked or underestimated. Up to 50 million people a year are estimated to have symptomatic influenza in EU/EEA countries and between 15 000 – 70 000 are estimated to die from influenza associated causes.

WHO’s Global Guidelines for the Prevention of Surgical Site Infections are published

Written on . Posted in 2016

The World Health Organization, recently published its Global Guidelines for the Prevention of Surgical Site Infections, which include a list of recommendations prepared by top leading experts and based on a review of the latest evidence in the area. The recommendations were designed to address the burden of healthcare-associated infections on healthcare systems and on patients undergoing surgery.

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