[Proven and unproven hygiene measures in urology]

In urology, catheter-associated urinary tract infections are most common, and postoperative wound infections the second most common nosocomial infections. This article gives an overview of standard hygiene measures, but focuses on proven and unproven hygiene measures for preventing catheter-associated urinary tract infections and postoperative wound infections. Consistent implementation of these measures contributes to minimizing infection rates and to establishing a quality standard, whereby surveillance of nosocomial infections contributes substantially to internal quality assurance.