PREVENTION AND CONTROL OF NOSOCOMIAL INFECTIONS IN SPAIN - CURRENT PROBLEMS AND FUTURE-TRENDS

Spain is a state member of the European Union, with more than 180,000 hospital beds and 800 public and private institutions. Only 6.9% of ou r gross national product is devoted to health expenditures. All citize ns receive free health care through the National Health System. This s ystem has given increasing attention to the prevention and control of nosocomial infections since 1986. In this article, results of serial p revalence surveys of antibiotic use and resistance patterns of microor ganisms isolated from nosocomial infections are discussed. The needs f or future development of infection control and quality assurance train ing programs in Spain also are discussed. Overall, a clinically and ep idemiologically oriented approach to infection control is preferred, w ith greater emphasis in the role of infection control practitioners an d infection control committees.