[Nosocomial infections in Ullevål hospital. Occurrence and economic consequences]

The present study concerns the prevalence, extra days in hospital, and direct extra costs of hospital infections in patients admitted to Ullevål University Hospital; a hospital with 1,000 beds in Oslo, Norway. Extra stay was calculated as mean of four extra days per patient or the extra stay connected with the different types of infection. Cost was determined as cost per day per patient in the different clinical departments, including all supportive services. Cost was also determined from the hospital's DRG-index (Diagnosis-Related Groups). A prevalence rate of 8.5% contributed in 1995 to 14,410 extra days in hospital, corrigated for the type of hospital infection. Calculated using a mean of four extra days per patient the figure was 14,000 extra days. In 1995, the direct economic consequence for the hospital was NOK 40-50 million (6-8 mill. US dollars).