Towards European Union standards in hospital infection control

Some providers of health care within the European Union (EU)--whether public or private--seem to give little priority to the establishment of quality control and common standards for infection control. Though uniform practice of infection control in hospitals was recommended by The Council of Europe no formal declaration about conformity or quality assessment of this important area seems to have been actively promoted within the EU. This is the setting against which local, and even international infection control protocols are promoted and discussed mainly by dedicated individuals and within informal groups, which may be endorsed by professional societies. So far no definite attempt to formulate European coordination has been recognized apart from initiatives taken by the World Health Organization (WHO) regional office for Europe. We may have a long way to go towards EU standards for infection control even though the benefits of European cooperation in the field of infection control have been recognized, and there are still serious doubts within the medical profession as to the feasibility of harmonization of these activities. EU standards in hospital infection control should be based on the best documented evidence and set at an appropriate level allowing wide participation. The medical profession must be involved and the inclusion of indicators of outcome must be considered.