Year 2000 objectives for preventing nosocomial infections: how do we get there?
In the late 1970s, the United States Public Health Service (PHS), in collaboration with public and private sector individuals and organizations, for the first time formulated national objectives for the prevention and control of disease. The PHS Year 1990 Objectives and Year 2000 Objectives both contain plans for preventing and controlling nosocomial infections. The Year 2000 Objectives contain goals for reducing infections that have been judged achievable, using existing prevention and control strategies. The specific Year 2000 Objectives targeting nosocomial infections can be divided into two categories: a) protecting the health care worker and b) protecting the patient. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration will play a major role in the upcoming decade in attaining the health care worker objectives. Reductions in patient nosocomial infections focus on surgical wound infections and infections in intensive care patients. Considerable work needs to be done in developing suitable nosocomial infection rate measures that adjust for patient case mix in order to assess progress toward achieving the objectives. Educational efforts targeted at entry-level health care providers and hospital epidemiologists must be strengthened. Government agencies, academic centers, industry, and professional organizations each have unique strengths and talents that can be collectively brought to bear on the problem.
Hospital Infections Program, Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta, Georgia 30333.
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D003428:Cross Infection / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005544:Forecasting; D006291:Health Policy; D006801:Humans; D014481:United States; D014492:United States Public Health Service