Human and non-financial costs of hospital-acquired infection.
Measurement of morbidity from hospital-acquired infection should include the suffering of patients who are denied treatment, 'the opportunity cost of infection'. We believe that this perspective will also reveal other inefficiencies which may be easier to correct than hospital-acquired infection. Infection control should be seen as a component of quality control and not as an end in itself.
Pharmacoeconomics Research Institute, University of Dundee, Scotland, UK.
P
P
Davey
C
C
Hernanz
W
W
Lynch
M
M
Malek
D
D
Byrne
D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000191:economics* / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000191:economics*; D006801:Humans; D009017:Morbidity; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care / Q000191:economics; D011787:Quality of Health Care; D011788:Quality of Life