What is hospital-acquired infection?
As the name implies, HAIs are caused by organisms including, but not limited to, bacteria or viruses that colonise or infect the patient following admission to hospital (Brunner and Suddarth, 1993). Boden (1999) has defined HAI as occurring within 72 hours of admission. The National Audit Office (2000) report is a sobering reminder to all health care workers of the real but often unrecognised implications of HAIs. It concludes that infection control needs to be higher on the agenda for all hospitals. With the advent of antibiotic-resistant strains of some pathogens the goal posts for hospital infection control departments across the globe have moved. Molyneux and Chadwick (1997) note the increasing incidence of vancomycin-resistant enterococcus (VRE) and comment on the particular vulnerability of some patient groups, such as the immunosuppressed. Morgan et al (2000) studied the incidence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) in men and women in Wales and found that it w
