The Royal College of Physicians of Ireland held a press briefing on Thursday 7 July 2011 at RCPI, No 6 Kildare Street, Dublin 2, to launch its position paper entitled "Healthcare-Associated Infections: What all doctors must know and do".

The paper contains practical guidelines for doctors in an attempt to reduce the rate of healthcare associated infections (HCAIs) in Irish Hospitals. One of its key messages is the importance of hand hygiene in reducing the spread of infection.

Speaking on behalf of the RCPI Policy Group on HCAI, Dr Ciarán Donegan, Consultant Physician in Healthcare of the Elderly, Beaumont Hospital, said, “In Ireland, approximately one out of every twenty hospitalised patients will acquire a HCAI but up to 50% of these infections are preventable. The hands of healthcare staff are a major source of cross transmission of microorganisms in hospitals. Compliance with hand hygiene guidelines is typically no more than 50%, but is often lower amongst doctors. Doctors have a responsibility to keep informed about HCAI and to incorporate infection-prevention techniques into their daily practice. This will contribute significantly to reducing the burden of HCAI and raising patient and public confidence.”
 
Professor Hilary Humphreys, Professor of Clinical Microbiology, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and Consultant Microbiologist, Beaumont Hospital, added that the position paper contains practical steps for doctors on how they can help to reduce the spread of HCAIs, including how to perform hand hygiene correctly, preventing infections related to intravascular cathethers, prevention of urinary tract infections (one of the most common sites of HCAIs), prevention of ventilator-associated pneumonia, prevention of surgical site infections (Up to 30% of surgical patients will develop a HCAI), proper use of antibiotics,  and decontamination of equipment. The paper also highlights the importance of educating healthcare workers on infection prevention.

Dr Ciarán Donegan and Professor Hilary Humphreys will speak at the press briefing on Thursday 7 July 2011 and will take questions from the press.

To read the HCAI Policy Group's paper, please click here.

Email: press@rcpi.ie