According to data published in the December issue of BMJ, approximately 5,000 patients die each year in England from nosocomial (hospital) infections. According to the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee, the UK has 100,000 hospital acquired infections each year, totaling £ 1 billion a year. The members of the Committee consider that the National Health System (NHS) should pay particular attention to two main points: the first is the development of a surveillance system for nosocomial infections, the second is the need to fundamentally change the approach infection prevention, respecting the principle "it's everyone's business". not just professionals. "Even a measure as simple as hand washing has not been used enough to prevent the transmission of infections among patients.

One of the biggest problems is the lack of clear criteria for identifying hospital infections. Specialists are currently working on the development of common diagnostic criteria. A short period of hospital stay, especially in surgical departments, leads to the fact that many infections occur in patients after their discharge from the hospital. Study results indicate that 50 to 70% of surgical wound infections develop after discharge. Committee members suggested improving the control of hospital infections, including infections that occur after discharge from the hospital, as well as improving the collection of data on hospital-acquired infections. Adopting all these measures will reduce the cost of nosocomial infections by 15%, which equates to 150 million pounds per year. Not all centers in the United Kingdom participate in the national nosocomial infection surveillance program, adopted since December 1999, so this program should be forcefully introduced.