Nosocomial infection rates at a General Army Hospital

An eighteen month study of the incidence of nosocomial infections was conducted at a 436 bed general army hospital. The overall rate of nosocomial infection was 1.48 per cent, with a monthly range of 0.42 to 2.30 per cent. Gynecology had the highest rate of 5.8 per cent. Escherichia coli, klebsiella, and Staphylococcus aureus were the major hospital pathogens. No emergence of unusual drug resistance was observed during the course of the study. Further studies should be conducted to establish guidelines of surveillance for nurse-epidemiologists in this type of hospital.