[Infection control and safety culture in German hospitals].
BACKGROUND
Healthcare-associated infections (HAI) are the most frequent adverse events in the healthcare setting and their prevention is an important contribution to patient safety in hospitals.


OBJECTIVE
To analyse to what extent safety cultural aspects with relevance to infection control are implemented in German hospitals.


METHODS
Safety cultural aspects of infection control were surveyed with an online questionnaire; data were analysed descriptively.


RESULTS
Data from 543 hospitals with a median of [IQR] 275 [157; 453] beds were analysed. Almost all hospitals (96.6 %) had internal guidelines for infection control (IC) in place; 82 % defined IC objectives, most often regarding hand hygiene (HH) (93 %) and multidrug resistant organisms (72 %) and less frequently for antibiotic stewardship (48 %) or prevention of specific HAI. In 94 % of hospitals, a reporting system for adverse events was in place, which was also used to report low compliance with HH, outbreaks and Clostridium difficile-associated infections. Members of the IC team were most often seen to hold daily responsibility for IC in the hospital, but rarely other hospital staff (94 versus 19 %).


CONCLUSIONS
Safety cultural aspects are not fully implemented in German hospitals. IC should be more strongly implemented in healthcare workers' daily routine and more visibly supported by hospital management.
Institut für Hygiene und Umweltmedizin, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Hindenburgdamm 27, 12203, Berlin, Deutschland. sonja.hansen@charite.de.|Nationales Referenzzentrum (NRZ) für Surveillance von nosokomialen Infektionen, Berlin, Deutschland. sonja.hansen@charite.de.
Sonja
S
Hansen
Institut für Hygiene und Umweltmedizin, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Hindenburgdamm 27, 12203, Berlin, Deutschland.|Nationales Referenzzentrum (NRZ) für Surveillance von nosokomialen Infektionen, Berlin, Deutschland.
Frank
F
Schwab
Institut für Hygiene und Umweltmedizin, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Hindenburgdamm 27, 12203, Berlin, Deutschland.|Nationales Referenzzentrum (NRZ) für Surveillance von nosokomialen Infektionen, Berlin, Deutschland.
Alexander
A
Gropmann
Institut für Hygiene und Umweltmedizin, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Hindenburgdamm 27, 12203, Berlin, Deutschland.|Nationales Referenzzentrum (NRZ) für Surveillance von nosokomialen Infektionen, Berlin, Deutschland.
Michael
M
Behnke
Institut für Hygiene und Umweltmedizin, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Hindenburgdamm 27, 12203, Berlin, Deutschland.|Nationales Referenzzentrum (NRZ) für Surveillance von nosokomialen Infektionen, Berlin, Deutschland.
Petra
P
Gastmeier
D003140:Communicable Disease Control / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004203:Disinfection / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D019983:Guideline Adherence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D063373:Hand Hygiene / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006761:Hospitals / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D015279:Organizational Culture; D061214:Patient Safety / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic
Hygiene; Nosocomial infections; Organisational culture; Patient safety; Prevention