Focal aspects of infection prevention and hygiene quality management in ear, nose, and throat surgery

The main objective of hygiene in surgery is to avoid, detect, and control h ospital infections. This primarily involves protecting the patient from inf ection, although the protection of health care personnel is also an importa nt consideration, Available means of perfection control should be applied i n a balanced regime tailored to the specific setting. Every member of the h ealth care team must make it his or her personal responsibility to ensure t hat infection control measures are intelligently and rigorously applied in every specific antiseptic regime in the vicinity of the patient. Adherence of health care personnel to principles of hygiene is facilitated by appropr iate building design, instruments, and procedures codified in the form of h ygiene plans. Coordinated working procedures and use of utilities verified at regular intervals reduce the risk of contaminating the patient and the p lant and equipment. Aside from the ethical dimension of their origin in the hospital or physician's office, nosocomial infections that prolong the dis order and are accompanied by a reduced longterm survival rate and increased risk of mortality have legal consequences and significantly increase the c ost of inpatient and outpatient treatment.