Korean J Nosocomial Infect Control.
2006 Jun;11(1):58-69.
The Present Situation of Infection Control Professionals, Organization, and Activities in Korean Acute Care General Hospitals
- Affiliations
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- 1University of Ulsan, korea. jsjeong@arnc.seoul.kr
- 2Samsung Medical Center, korea.
- 3Severance Hospital, korea.
- 4St. Vincent Hospital, korea.
- 5Pusan National University, korea.
- 6Korea Human Resource Development Institute for Health and Welfare, korea.
- 7Korea University Ansan Hospital, korea.
- 8Kangnam Sacred Heart Hospital, korea.
- 9Seoul National University Hospital, korea.
- 10National Institute of Health, korea.
- 11Ewha Woman's University, korea.
- 12Kangnam St. Mary's Hospital, The Catholic University Korea, korea.
- 13Yonsei University College of Medicine, korea.
- 14University of Ulsan College of Medicine, korea.
Abstract
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BACKGROUND: It has been more than 15 years since infection control was first introduced in Korea, but there is little information available on the status of infection control program in the country.
METHODS
Included in the study were 139 acute care hospitals with more than 300 inpatient beds. A questionnaire, modified from US SENIC (Study on the Efficacy of Nosocomial Infection Control) and Canadian RICH (Resources for Infection Control in Canadian Acute Care Hospitals) survey, was mailed to the hospitals in the winter of 2003.
RESULTS
Ninety-eight (70.5%) of 139 hospitals responded. There was an average of 1.2 (SD, 0.7) Infection Control Practitioners (lCPs) in each hospital and 95.7% were nurses and only 56.5% of the ICPs worked as full-time. The 71.4% of the hospitals had a position for Infection Control Doctor. All hospitals had an Infection Control Committee, which met an average of 3.7 (SD, 1.7) times a year. The 85.7% of the hospitals performed surveillance, but only 31.6% were monitoring surgical site infections. Review of microbiology data was the most common method for case-finding. More than 90% of the hospitals had infection control policies and guidelines, but an adherence to the policies and guidelines was not monitored regularly.
CONCLUSION
This study reports the first comparable profile of infection control program of general acute care hospitals in Korea. Although the foundation for infection control program appears to have been established, there is the need for a further increase in the number of ICPs, the standardization of the surveillance method, and the promotion of adherence to the infection control guidelines.
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