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Nosocomial Infections in Spain: Results of Five Nationwide Serial Prevalence Surveys (EPINE Project, 1990–1994)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2015

Josep Vaqué ,
José Rosselló ,
Antoni Trilla ,
Vicente Monge ,
Juan García-Caballero ,
José L. Arribas ,
Pedro Blasco ,
José R. Sáenz-Domínguez ,
Inma Albero  and
Francisco Calbo
...Show all authors
Josep Vaqué*
Affiliation:
Preventive Medicine and Epidemiology Units of Hospital Vall d'Hebron, Barcelona
José Rosselló
Affiliation:
Preventive Medicine and Epidemiology Units of Hospital Vall d'Hebron, Barcelona
Antoni Trilla
Affiliation:
Hospital Clínic, Barcelona
Vicente Monge
Affiliation:
Hospital Ramón y Cajal, Madrid
Juan García-Caballero
Affiliation:
Hospital La Paz, Madrid
José L. Arribas
Affiliation:
Hospital Miguel Servet, Zaragoza
Pedro Blasco
Affiliation:
Hospital Virgen de la Macarena, Sevilla
José R. Sáenz-Domínguez
Affiliation:
Hospital NS Aránzazu, San Sebastián
Inma Albero
Affiliation:
Preventive Medicine and Epidemiology Units of Hospital Vall d'Hebron, Barcelona
Francisco Calbo
Affiliation:
The Hospital Carlos Haya, Málaga
Josep Barrio
Affiliation:
Infection Control Programs of Hospital Sant Pau, Barcelona
Rafael Herruzo
Affiliation:
Hospital La Paz, Madrid
Carmen Sáenz-González
Affiliation:
Hospital Clínico Universitario, Salamanca
José M. Arévalo
Affiliation:
Hospital Txagorritxu, Vitoria
*
Preventive Medicine and Epidemiology Unit, Hospital Vall d'Hebron, Passeig Vall d'Hebron, 119-129, 08035-Barcelona, Spain
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Abstract

Objective: To determine trends in rates of nosocomial infections in Spanish hospitals.

Design: Prospective prevalence studies, performed yearly from 1990 through 1994.

Setting: A convenience sample of acute-care Spanish hospitals.

Participants and Patients: The number of hospitals and patients included were as follows: 1990, 125 hospitals and 38,489 patients; 1991, 136 and 42,185; 1992, 163 and 44,343; 1993, 171 and 46,983; 1994, 186 and 49,689. A core sample of 74 hospitals, which participated in all five surveys and included a mean of 23,871 patients per year, was analyzed separately.

Results: The overall prevalence rate of patients with nosocomial infections in the five studies was as follows: 1990, 8.5%; 1991, 7.8%; 1992, 7.3%; 1993, 7.1%; and 1994, 7.2%. The prevalence rate of patients with nosocomial infection in the core sample of 74 hospitals was 8.9%, 8.0%, 7.4%, 7.6%, and 7.6%, respectively (test for trend, P=.0001). Patients admitted to intensive care units had a 22.8% prevalence rate of nosocomial infection in 1994. The most common nosocomial infections by primary site were urinary tract infection and surgical site infections, followed by respiratory tract infections and bacteremia. More than 60% of all infections were supported by a microbiological diagnosis.

Conclusions: The EPINE project provides a uniform tool for performing limited surveillance of nosocomial infections in most Spanish acute-care hospitals. Its use helps to spread an accepted set of definitions and methods for nosocomial infection control in the Spanish healthcare system. The surveys indicate that the prevalence of nosocomial infections has been reduced over the last 5 years in a core sample of Spanish hospitals.

Type
Original Articles
Information
Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology , Volume 17 , Issue 5 , May 1996 , pp. 293 - 297
Copyright
Copyright © The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America 1996

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Footnotes

*

See list at end of article

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