Health cuts threaten infection control

The economic crisis and movement through Europe could threaten the success of efforts to reduce the prevalence of infection, experts are warning.

At the Infection Prevention 2012 conference in Liverpool this week, Dr Anna-Pelagia Magiorakos, a senior expert in antimicrobial resistance and healthcare acquired infection at the European Centre for Disease Prevention (ECDC) in Sweden, warned that cuts to health budgets around the world were already having an impact on infection prevention and control.

A lack of funds affects the purchase of equipment in hospitals and restricts efforts. What we have observed is that infection control is perhaps more lax due to the lack of investment in equipment

And she said the problem could deteriorate further as investment in vital equipment and staffing levels are reduced.

She told the conference: “A lack of funds affects the purchase of equipment in hospitals and restricts efforts. What we have observed is that infection control is perhaps more lax due to the lack of investment in equipment.

“With a lack of equipment and a lack of staff, it is not a very pretty picture.”

The problem is further compounded by the continued overuse of antibiotics and the lack of information sharing between various countries.

What we need to do is get to the stage where a patient who transfers across borders comes with information about what they might be carrying if that is possible

She said: “It is difficult to keep up to speed with what every different country is doing and to have the same rules and controls and infection control strategies across them all.

“What we need to do is get to the stage where a patient who transfers across borders comes with information about what they might be carrying if that is possible. I realise the burden is quite large and this is not always possible, but it creates a very big problem for continued infection control.”

The way forward to ensure infection control across Europe is to have a systematic review of all available data and to look at developing guidance and indicators on this issue

With a more joined-up approach in mind, the ECDC is involved with a number of pan-European programmes, including co-ordinating the collection of HCAI data from different countries; a study on antimicrobial use in European hospitals and long-term care facilities; and a systematic reviews of peri-operative antibiotic prophyliaxis.

Magiorakos said: “The way forward to ensure infection control across Europe is to have a systematic review of all available data and to look at developing guidance and indicators on this issue.”