Germs Are Up and Infection Control is Down

A recent article reports that even though the WHO has raised the swine flu pandemic level to it's highest, hospitals and healthcare facilities are cutting costs in infection control due to the poor economy. In a recent survey, more than 40 percent of nearly 2,000 hospital infection workers reported being hit by budget cuts in the past 18 months, which include layoffs, reduced hours, hiring freezes and diminished ability to detect, track and manage infections that can cost extra money.

“If we’re cutting monitoring and surveillance and infection prevention staff, we’re cutting the muscle out of this aspect of patient safety,” said the executive director for the Washington, D.C.-based Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology. Cutting patient safety, however, isn't the way to save money. “If you prevent infections, you’re going to save dollars on the bottom line,” said Suzanne Cistulli, director of infection control at O’Connor Hospital in San Jose, Calif., where she’s the sole full-time staff in her department.

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