title: Prevention of VAP: is zero rate possible?
abstract: Infection prevention measures, specifically targeting ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), have been purposed as quality-of-care indicators for patients in intensive care units. The authors discuss some of the recent evidence of the prevention of nosocomial infections, with a particular emphasis on VAP. Moreover, there are several pitfalls in considering VAP rates as a safety indicator. Because of these limitations, the authors recommend the use of specific process measures, designed to reduce VAP, as the basis for interinstitutional benchmarking.
authors.affiliation: General Internal Medicine & Infectious Diseases, Ghent University Hospital, Belgium.
authors.forename: Stijn
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Blot
authors.forename: Thiago
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lisboa
authors.forename: Roser
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Angles
authors.forename: Jordi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rello
mesh_terms: D003422:Critical Care / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D053717:Pneumonia, Ventilator-Associated / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D058996:Quality Improvement; D019984:Quality Indicators, Health Care; D012449:Safety