title: [Current infectious disease care in Spain].
abstract: Despite the specialist activity of Infectious Diseases not being officially recognised, the majority of the hospitals in the autonomous communities of Spain are equipped with structures, with significant heterogeneity among them, to be able to offer high quality care in these diseases. The main characteristics of and Infectious Diseases Department is its important healthcare activity, more than in other officially recognised medical specialities, and also its important interrelationship with other services in the hospital which is clearly horizontal healthcare. Furthermore, the aforementioned infectious disease care units have developed important activities in the arena of community and public health and, in collaboration with health authorities, contribute to the rational use of antimicrobials and the relationship with Primary Care. The future of specialists in infectious diseases, when they are officially recognised, will be the creation of clinical management units in every health institution with the objective of coordinating all the specialised health care, both in the hospital environment and in its health area of influence.
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Enfermedades Infecciosas, Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron, Barcelona, España. balmirante@vhebron.net
authors.forename: Benito
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Almirante
authors.forename: Juan Dios
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Colmenero
authors.forename: Jesús
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fortún
authors.forename: José Antonio
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Oteo
authors.forename: Juan Mari
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Santamaría
authors.forename: Julio
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sola
mesh_terms: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003141:Communicable Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*; D003153:Community Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration; D017714:Community-Acquired Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000628:therapy; D019468:Disease Management; D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial; D005544:Forecasting; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006755:Hospital Shared Services / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006757:Hospital Units / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000600:supply & distribution; D006801:Humans; D017053:Infection Control / Q000458:organization & administration; D055552:Infectious Disease Medicine / Q000193:education / Q000458:organization & administration*; D007755:Laboratories, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000600:supply & distribution; D008829:Microbiology / Q000458:organization & administration; D011159:Population Surveillance; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration; D011635:Public Health Administration; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents