In reply: I heartily endorse Chan’s comments. To control infections in our hospitals, we desperately need not only a change in governance, but also a change in attitude. Chief executives of all hospitals, as well as all clinicians (nurses and doctors), need to take personal responsibility for serious infections that occur frequently in our hospitals. To do so, they also need to know how often these infections occur. We need robust and transparent measures — for example, data on health care-associated Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infections, including methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA),1 and deep-seated prosthetic joint infections.
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- Infectious Diseases Unit and Microbiology Department, Canberra Hospital, Canberra, ACT.
- 1. Collignon PJ, Wilkinson IJ, Gilbert GL, et al. Health care-associated Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infections: a clinical quality indicator for all hospitals. Med J Aust 2006; 184: 404-406. <MJA full text>
- 2. Chief Medical Officer, UK. Winning ways: working together to reduce healthcare associated infection in England. London: Department of Health, 2003. http://www.dh.gov.uk/prod_consum_dh/groups/dh_digitalassets/@dh/@en/documents/digitalasset/dh_4064689.pdf (accessed Mar 2008).
- 3. Health Protection Agency, UK. Quarterly reporting results for Clostridium difficile infections and MRSA bacteraemia, January 2008. http://www.hpa.org.uk/infections/topics_az/hai/Mandatory_Results.htm (accessed Mar 2008).
- 4. Department of Health, UK. Essential steps to safe, clean care. London: National Health Service, 2007. http://www.clean-safe-care.nhs.uk/toolfiles/88_82131-COI-Essential%20Steps%20Working%20together.pdf (accessed Mar 2008).
- 5. Dancer SJ. Importance of the environment in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus acquisition: the case for hospital cleaning. Lancet Infect Dis 2008; 8: 101-113.