The frequency rate of hospital infections in Montenegro measured in ten Montenegrin hospitals is 3,7 percent, which is at the level of the European average.
This was shown by the National study on the prevalence of hospital infections and consumption of antibiotics in Montenegro, presented at yesterday's national meeting organized by the office of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Ministry of Health, on the occasion of World Health Day, April 7.
"Using a standard protocol, local teams of doctors and nurses observed more than 1.000 patients in Montenegrin hospitals. At the time of the study, 34 patients had a total of 38 nosocomial infections (four patients had two infections each). Out of that number, 31 infections (81,6 percent) were acquired during the current hospitalization", it was assessed at the meeting.
The study was conducted in order to assess the frequency of hospital infections, their causative agents and resistance to antimicrobial drugs, as well as the use of antibiotics in hospitals. The results of this research will enable the planning of further activities on the prevention of hospital infections and the rational use of antibiotics.
The head of the WHO office in Montenegro, Dr. Mina Brajović, reminded that WHO data indicate that hospital infections represent a serious public health problem and that no hospital in the world is immune to hospital infections..
"According to WHO data, for every 100 hospitalized patients, seven patients in highly developed countries, that is, 15 patients in countries with a low and medium level of development - get an infection related to the provision of health care during hospitalization. On average, 1 in 10 infected patients die precisely because of the infection. Patients in the intensive care unit and newborns are especially vulnerable,'' she said. Brajović pointed out that WHO data indicate that hand hygiene and compliance with hygiene standards in a healthcare facility reduce the risk of death due to infection with a resistant pathogen by almost 50 percent.
Minister of Health Vojislav Šimun said that "it is known that the most common causes of hospital infections are precisely resistant bacteria, which require long-term therapy with potent and mostly expensive antibiotics, which in turn further encourages resistance to antibiotics, even the most effective ones."
He pointed out that the results of the study are significant for the identification of key problems and the establishment of priorities in the suppression of hospital infections and the improvement of services for monitoring and implementation of prevention measures.
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