[Nosocomial infections in an urology department: temporal tendencies of the accumulated incidence during the period 1984-1988]. / Infección nosocomial en un servicio de urología: tendencias temporales de la incidencia acumulada durante el período 1984-1988.

The yearly changes in the accumulated incidence (AI), localizations and responsible microorganisms of nosocomial infections (NI) which occurred over the period from 1984 to 1988 in the Urology Department of the Ramón y Cajal Hospital are described and a study of the seasonal tendency of such infections is carried out with data obtained from the Watch Out System by means of the annual AI rates to a ponderate regression curve. The yearly decrease in the risk of suffering a NI (expressed as the slope of the graph line) was 2.05% which was statistically significant. The most frequent localizations of NI were urinary, superficial postoperative wounds and bacteremia, representing the three of them almost 90% of the total number of infections each year. Urinary infection was the localization which presented the greatest annual decrease in risk (2.21%). Bacteremia also presented a decrease, although this was not significant. On the contrary, the risk of acquiring an infection in a superficial postoperative wound experimented during this period a significant annual increase (0.36%). E. coli, S. marcescens, and P. aeruginosa were the microorganisms most frequently isolated in NI.

[Hospital infections at the medical Infection Surveillance Unit from 1984 to 1988]. / Estudio de la infección hospitalaria en la UVI médica durante el período 1984-1988.

The aim of the present work was to study hospital infection tendencies and to analyze the variations that have occurred in the accumulated incidence, the localization and the responsible microorganisms in a medical ICU of the Hospital Ramón y Cajal, Madrid during a 5 years period. Nosocomial infections appear with a statistically significant decreasing tendency: the simple regression curve, estimated from the monthly accumulated incidence, presents a slope = -0.16 (p less than 0.05); the adjustment made with the annual accumulated incidence values shows a slope = -2.15 (p less than 0.001). The most frequent localization of hospital infections were: lower respiratory tract, urine, and blood. These infections show in general a decreasing tendency existing a statistical difference in respiratory = -1.5 (p less than 0.001) and urinary = -1.48 (p less than 0.001) infections. The microorganisms most frequently isolated in these patients were P. aeruginosa, S. marcescens and E. coli.

[Smoking habits: a study of hospital staff]. / Hábitos tabáquicos: estudio en personal hospitalario.

The results of a survey carried out in our hospital about the use of cigarettes in which 680 staff members participated (257 men and 423 women) are presented. The percentage of current smokers was 50% (51.8% amongst women and 45.1% amongst men). The highest percentages of smokers were found amongst nurses (61%), maintenance staff (50%) and administrative staff (45.1%); 41% of physicians smoked. Quitting the smoking habit was more frequent amongst physicians and higher grade staff, with a predominance of older males. The smallest number of quitters was found amongst nurses. 93.5% of the surveyed subjects agreed with the establishment of restrictive measures, finding no differences according to age, sex, or professional status, although there were differences according to the smoking habit. The results obtained point out the importance of the smoking problem amongst health professionals and could be used to promote programs against smoking in hospitals.