Hospital bug infections - Survey does not diagnose rate clearly

A prevalence survey to determine the rate of hospital-acquired infections has just been conducted and published by the Health Service Executive (HSE). It surveyed forty-four different hospitals.

The report concluded that the overall 5% rate of hospital-acquired infections in this country is better than in seven listed EU countries and the United States. In Britain, for instance the rate is 7.6%.

There is, however, significant variation between the performances of the hospitals, which probably raises more questions than it answers.