Hygiene: controlling infections and optimising the quality of healthcare

"Nosocomial infections (infections acquired in the context of medical care) are frequent and widely studied adverse events due to hospitalisation. A study conducted in 1999 in 18 Swiss hospitals showed that more than 10% of patients in our country have a nosocomial infection."*

At the Clinique Générale-Beaulieu, the main objective of hospital hygiene is to protect patients from the risks of healthcare-associated infections. The Board of Health has been active since 1998 and defines an annual program of actions to ensure the implementation of guidelines from the Cantonal Director of Public Health, as well as specific recommendations from different reference organisations, at both national and international levels. The Committee includes the Director, the Director of Operations, the Senior Medical Officer, the Staff Physician, the Public Health Nurse, the Hygiene Specialists from each sector and the relevant managers.

To control such infections and optimise both the quality of care and patient safety, Véronique Marchal, a nurse specialised in the prevention and control of infection, establishes protocols for good hygiene practice and controls the effectiveness of the introduced measures under real conditions. She is also responsible for epidemiological and healthcare-associated infection surveillance (from Swissnoso: prevalence of nosocomial infections and incidence of surgical site infections). She trains staff and is an expert in the management of infectious risks.

The Clinique participates actively in WHO global campaigns, "Clean Care is Safer Care", particularly on May 5th each year since 2009 to help promote hand hygiene.

* Swissnoso vol. 8 n°1. Bulletin de mars 2001: "La fréquence des infections nosocomiales comme indicateur de la qualité des soins", N. Troillet, Sion, P. Francioli, Lausanne, D. Pittet, Genève et C. Ruef, Zurich.