Prevention & Control of Infections

Data on Hospital Infections in Greece

Hospital-acquired infections are among the most common complications of hospitalization. Their consequences are significant, both for patients and for the Greek health system, as they extend patient stays, increase hospitalization costs tremendously, and may result in death.

According to available data, over 10% of hospitalized patients in Greece acquire healthcare-associated infections, resulting in over 3,000 deaths per year. Additionally, hospital-acquired infections increase the length of hospital stays and burden the Greek health system with costs of more than 1.2 billion euros annually.

According to the literature, however, hospital-acquired infections can be reduced significantly or even avoided altogether.

Action taken by CLEO to control and prevent hospital infections

From July 2012 through December 2015, CLEO’s work made waves in the sector of hospital infection prevention and control, resulting in a higher level of hospital care for the pediatric patients at the “Aghia Sophia” and the “Panagiotis and Aglaia Kyriakou” hospitals. CLEO’s activities focused on:

The results of these activities are encouraging, and have been published in symposia and internationally renowned scientific journals. This work has also garnered popular media attention.