[Hospital infections in teaching hospitals: analysis of their control]

The purpose of this study is to identify methodologies of vigilance and hospital infection control, to analyse nurse's actuation in the context of hospital infection control and to associate nurse's actuation on the control of hospital infection and the execution of nursing process. It is an analytic-descriptive study developed at 81 Commissions of Hospital Infection Control (CCIH) at School Hospitals from 21 Brazilian states through a questionnaire. The variables studied were: characteristics and functioning of CCIH; criteria to diagnose hospital infection; methods of data collection; types of epidemiological vigilance, prevention and control measures and nurse's participation. The analysis of data was qualitative and quantitative. The results showed that in the collection of data prevailed general vigilance (66.6%) and the association of passive and active methods (48.4%); 67 CCIH mentioned measures of prevention and control, related to urinary tract (54 CCIH) and to respiratory tract (21 CCIH). The antimicrobian control distinguishing the lack of resonance between the CCIH and the units personnel brings to the conclusion that the problems of hospital infection control are, in their essence, of philosophical, educational or administrative character. Authors evidenced the importance of the implementation of methodologies to facilitate the control of hospital infection, indicating that the adoption of nursing process, as an instrument, can result in benefits to CCIH and to patients.