[The importance of nosocomial infections for patients and socio-political representatives]. / Die Bedeutung von nosokomialen Infektionen für Patienten und die Solidargemeinschaft.

ABSTRACT

The importance of nosocomial infection prevention is up to now not seen in all its consequences by physicians and the social-political representatives. Do activities to analyse and prevent nosocomial infections nowadays not encounter the resistance, we know from the times of Semmelweis, the problems in this respect haven't changed a great deal, i.e. the negative sides of modern medicine are often intentionally overseen. Hospital hygiene may not be misunderstood as clinical bacteriology, it is indeed a true task for the clinician and has to deal with all complications resulting from patient treatment. Side effects from drugs and postoperative thromboembolic complications have also been followed, as they are very often in direct or indirect correlation with bacterial infections or their consequences. From the social economic point of view nosocomial infections represent a very important cost factor, which could be reduced to great deal by activities for prevention of nosocomial infection. This means, that such activities not only could be performed cost-neutral, but could render a further cost reduction in hospital medicine. Besides of the individual disasters, nosocomial infections create, this economic view could be a strong second argument for hospital hygiene in our world mostly reacting only on financial factors.