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Anthony Smith, Radiographer, Diana, Princess of Wales Hospital, Grimsby, and Terry D Lodge, Health Lecturer at the University of Bradford, discuss the results of a study undertaken to investigate whether radiographic equipment can he a reservoir for microorganisms, aiding the spread of infection to patients.
Introduction
"The very first requirement in a hospital is that it should do the sick no harm." This quote was voiced by Florence Nightingale in 1859 and is as pertinent now as it was nearly 150 years ago.1 Nosocomial infections were first described in the nineteenth century. Unfortunately hospital acquired infections are still a major problem which affect every hospital worldwide. These infections result during hospitalisation for other conditions and are commonly referred to as 'nosocomial' which is derived from the Latin word for hospital - 'nosocomium'. A nosocomial infection is one that is acquired after 48 hours of hospital admission.2
A report by the Auditor General (2000) states that the incidence for these types of infections is in the region of 10%, which equates to 300,000 unnecessary infections per year. The effects of these infections range from patient discomfort, to prolonged or permanent disability. In the region of 5000 patients die annually as a direct result of these hospital acquired infections.
Although difficult to measure, it is estimated that the cost to the health service is in excess of a billion pounds annually,' which adds considerably to the burden of healthcare in the UK. However, it should be noted that not all the infections are preventable, as the very old, very young and those with suppressed immune systems are particularly vulnerable. The Department of Health and the Public Health Laboratory Service believe that at least 30% of all nosocomial infections can be prevented. This could be achieved by improved infection control practices and better application of existing knowledge.
To illustrate the cost of a hospital acquired infection, Plowman et al4 demonstrated that the length of a hospital stay increased significantly by 11 days, amounting to an average extra cost of £2917 per patient.
Many studies on the problems encountered within the hospital environment have been undertaken and reported in various journals. They discuss the increase in bacterial infections from Methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and clostridium difficile,...