Planning strategies for nosocomial infection control

According to the American Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 99,000 deaths per year in the United States are caused or impacted on by multiple hospital-acquired infections (HAIs), which are roughly estimated to be around 1.7 million cases. In Europe, there are 25,000 deaths per year from the same cause, 17.000 of which are linked to nosocomial infections. Patient safety is a core issue in today's health care settings. There is a growing consensus, supported by scientific investigation, that the role of the built environment is central towards minimizing and controlling the level of such infections. The contribution of architectural solutions and planning choices becomes crucial at this stage. This paper outlines the most common measures to adopt at the architectural and planning level, to combat HAI, focusing on the most critical areas of the hospital: wards, intensive care units and operating theatres.