title: National prevalence survey of hospital-acquired infections in Italy, 1983.
abstract: In 1983 a national prevalence survey was conducted in Italy to discover the general distribution of infection among patients in public hospitals. Thirty-four thousand, five hundred and seventy-seven acute patients were surveyed in 130 hospitals spread throughout the country: 6668 patients (19.3%) had an active infection at the time of the survey; the infection was hospital-acquired in 2361 (6.8%) and community-acquired in 4307 (12.5%). The urinary tract was the site most frequently involved in hospital infection (30.2% of patients with hospital-acquired infection). The respiratory tract was the site most often involved in community infections (35.7% for the lower tract and 9.1% for the upper). Hospital-acquired infections were more frequent in intensive care units (12.4%) and in geriatric (11.6%), orthopaedic (8.2%) and surgical wards (7.6%). The prevalence of urinary tract infection was 10.4% among the 9.4% of patients who were catheterized compared with a prevalence of 2.6% in the uncatheterized. Thirty-five point five per cent of patients were receiving an antimicrobial on the day of the survey.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007263:Infusions, Parenteral / Q000295:instrumentation; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000453:epidemiology; D014546:Urinary Catheterization / Q000009:adverse effects; D014552:Urinary Tract Infections / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents