Prevalence of nosocomial infections in Spain: EPINE study 1990-1997

From 1990, a study on the prevalence of nosocomial infections has been carr ied out yearly in Spanish hospitals. Acute care hospitals with more than 50 beds were involved on a voluntary basis. In 1990, 123 hospitals participat ed and by 1997 the number of hospitals had reached 214. The objective of th e study is to examine the situation in each hospital, and to collect data a cross the country, by means of a common protocol. The overall prevalence of nosocomial infections has significantly decreased in Spain. The prevalence of infected patients has been about 7% in the three last studies. The prev alences for urinary tract infections and surgical wound infections have dec reased, while prevalences for lower respiratory tract infections and bacter aemia have increased. Urinary tract infections have occupied the first posi tion over the eight surveys. Second place was taken by surgical wound infec tions from 1990 to 1995, and by lower respiratory tract infections in 1996- 1997. With the exception of Intensive Care Units, the prevalence of nosocom ial infections has been decreasing in all hospital areas. The mean age of h ospitalized patients has increased, so has the proportion of patients with one or more intrinsic risk factors and the proportion of those with one or more instrumentations. The proportions of patients with a short or a very l ong hospital stay have increased, revealing a change that no doubt reduces nosocomial infection rates. The use of antimicrobial drugs has shown a sign ificant increase, from 33.8% of patients in 1990 to 35.8% in 1997. (C) 1999 The Hospital Infection Society.