Prevalence of nosocomial infections in The Netherlands, 2007-2008: results of the first four national studies

The PREZIES national network for the surveillance of nosocomial infections (NI) in The Netherlands has organised a national prevalence study twice a year since 2007. This paper presents the results of the first four surveys. Of 95 hospitals in The Netherlands, 41 participated in 92 surveys and 26937 patients were included. On the survey day 6.2% had an NI (prevalence of infections 7.2%). The prevalence of infections varied from 1.4% to 16.5% between hospitals. The prevalence of surgical site infections was 4.8%, pneumonia 1.1%, primary bloodstream infection 0.5% and symptomatic urinary tract infection 1.7%. On admission to hospital, 3.3% of patients had an NI. On the day of the survey, 30.9% of the patients were receiving antibiotics. The use of antibiotics as well as medical devices differed considerably between hospitals. Both the prevalence of NI in The Netherlands and the use of antibiotics and devices were comparable to other European countries. (C) 2009 The Hospital Infection Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.