Infection Control in a Country with Annual Inflation of 3,600

• Published in: Infection control and hospital epidemiology Vol. 16; no. 3; pp. 175 - 178
• Main Author: Wey, Sergio B.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Thorofare, NJ SLACK Incorporated 01-03-1995; Slack
• Subjects: Antibiotics; Antimicrobials; Biological and medical sciences; Brazil; Delivery of Health Care - economics; Developing Countries; Epidemiology; General aspects; Global Aspects of Infection Control; Health care industry; Hospital administration; Humans; Infection control; Infection Control - economics; Infection Control - organization & administration; Infections; Inflation, Economic; Medical sciences; Microbiology; Nurses; Nurses - standards; Nursing; Planification. Prevention (methods). Intervention. Evaluation; Public health. Hygiene; Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine; Surveillance; Tropical medicine; South America; Brazil; America; Human; Infection; Prevention; Health policy; Inflation(economy); Hospital environment; Hygiene; Public health; Economic crisis
• ISSN: 0899-823X; 1559-6834
• DOI: 10.1017/S0195941700007359

The economic crisis that has been seen worldwide affects developing countries such as Brazil even more severely. Worsening budget shortfalls for the healthcare system progressively threaten patient care. Infection control programs also are affected, and basic preventive policies are not implemented. Infection control practitioners face lack of equipment and poor microbiological support. In contrast, the motivation of the infection control people can be maintained through training courses, conferences, and meetings. Administrative support may be the most important single factor determining success in decreasing the infection control rate and should be (but is not always) provided, given that several infection control measures are cost effective.