title: [Hospital hygiene--an essential aspect of quality assurance. Results of a survey in the hospitals of the German state of Saxony].
abstract: The committee of quality assurance in diagnostic and therapy at the General Medical Council of Saxony founded 1996 in a team consisting of full-time hygienists in order to investigate the situation concerning hospital hygiene within the German state Saxony. Therefore, a survey was worked out and sent to all hospitals as a common activity of the General Medical Council of Saxony and the Hospital Federation of Saxony in order to get complete and reliable data. The evaluation of the survey results in a lower rate of participation compared with a former investigation in 1992/93. However, it could be proved that hospital hygiene gained importance over the last years. At least the general requirements to work on the field of hospital hygiene are available. This is proven by the fact that infection control physicians are appointed and hygiene plans are existing in all hospitals. In 96.6% of the hospitals, hygiene committees are working, 93.3% of the hospitals document nosocomial infections and 90% of the hospitals have hygiene experts in the meaning of appropriate qualified employees. On the other side, the survey indicates potentials for improvement. Only 8.8% of the infection control physicians have a defined time at their own disposal. In addition, in hygiene specialists are involved in questions of building planning or of buying medical products with hygienic relation less than half of the hospitals. It is obvious that the survey could only affect some of the essential problems concerning hospital hygiene. A more profound analysis needs more questions and therefore more time to answer. At least, this survey reached the aim to reproduce and to illustrate the situation of hospital hygiene in the German state Saxony and promotes the discussion within the hospitals and the different committees.
authors.affiliation: Städtisches Klinikum St. Georg, Abteilung Krankenhaushygiene, Leipzig.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Görisch
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Eberlein-Gonska
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Gerlach
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Taubner
mesh_terms: D003428:Cross Infection / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005858:Germany; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006761:Hospitals / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D006920:Hygiene; D008505:Medical Staff, Hospital; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care
vernacular_title: Krankenhaushygiene--ein wesentlicher Aspekt der Qualitätssicherung. Ergebnisse einer Umfrage in Krankenhäusern des Freistaates Sachsen.