title: Mathematical modelling: a tool for hospital infection control.
abstract: Health-care-associated infections caused by antibiotic-resistant pathogens have become a menace in hospitals worldwide and infection control measures have lead to vastly different outcomes in different countries. During the past 6 years, a theoretical framework based on mathematical models has emerged that provides solid and testable hypotheses and opens the road to a quantitative assessment of the main obstructions that undermine current efforts to control the spread of health-care-associated infections in hospitals and communities. We aim to explain to a broader audience of professionals in health care, infection control, and health systems administration some of these models that can improve the understanding of the hidden dynamics of health-care-associated infections. We also appraise their usefulness and limitations as an innovative research and decision tool for control purposes.
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, The Netherlands. Hajo.Grundmann@RIVM.nl
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Grundmann
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hellriegel
mesh_terms: D003428:Cross Infection / Q000517:prevention & control*; D003657:Decision Making; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D006801:Humans; D017053:Infection Control / Q000379:methods*; D008962:Models, Theoretical