Hospital infection control in Sweden

Area of Science:

• Healthcare organization
• Infection control
• Public health

Background:

• Sweden's county-based healthcare system centralizes hospital management.
• This structure supports county-level hospital infection control programs.
• Infection control teams are typically based in clinical bacteriology departments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the structure and challenges of Sweden's county-based hospital infection control system.
• To evaluate the impact of a policy change in geriatric care on infection rates and costs.

Main Methods:

• Descriptive analysis of the Swedish healthcare and infection control organizational structure.
• Review of infection control nurse staffing and bed allocation.
• Assessment of the impact of a policy shift regarding urinary catheter use in geriatric care.

Main Results:

• The county system facilitates coordinated infection control and education across hospitals.
• Limited infection control nurse staffing (50 full-time positions) hinders comprehensive surveillance.
• A policy change in geriatric care, discouraging indwelling urinary catheters for incontinence, significantly reduced urinary tract infections and overall infection rates, leading to cost savings.

Conclusions:

• Sweden's county-based system offers advantages for infection control coordination but faces challenges due to insufficient staffing.
• Targeted interventions, such as reducing unnecessary urinary catheter use in geriatric care, can effectively decrease infection rates and healthcare costs.