For the first time – Ministry of Health reveals sepsis rates in ICUs at Israeli hospitals
Prof. Abraham Borer, Director of the Infection Control Unit at Soroka and Director of the Clalit Infection Control Forum, said, “This is one of the greatest challenges faced by health care systems in Israel and worldwide. Good results depend on investing properly in infrastructure, equipment and human resources, as well as implementing procedures and heightening awareness among staff.”
The first report of its type, released this morning by the Ministry of Health, presents data on sepsis, an infection introduced through a central line inserted subcutaneously into blood vessels of patients hospitalized in intensive care units. Patients receive medication, fluids, blood and nutrition through this line. The report relates to 2015 and is based on the number of cases of sepsis caused by insertion of a central line and treatment using the line in general ICUs in hospitals. For all hospitals, the rate of infections per 1,000 hospitalization days of patients with central lines in patients in general ICUs was measured.
Among the large hospitals in Israel, Soroka excelled, with the lowest rate of infection — 0.9 per 1,000 line days. This rate is outstanding even at the global level.
Dr. Moti Klein, Director of the ICU at Soroka, said, “Key to this achievement is investing properly in infrastructure, equipment and the appropriate human resources, making it possible to implement the Infection Control Unit’s recommendations and guidelines. Close cooperation with the Health-Care Associated Infection Control Unit at the hospital and zero tolerance for deviation from work procedures are what, at the end of the day, lead to strong infection control achievements. Maintaining these good achievements is the result of hard work, every day, which includes strictly following work guidelines and international recommendations.”
Prof. Ehud Davidson, Director of Soroka Medical Center, said, “If we need to put our finger on what makes Soroka’s strategy for fighting infection special, it would be the willingness of the attending staff in the general ICU to accept regular inspections by the people who head the Infection Control Unit — Prof. Abraham Borer and Ms. Ronit Nativ. The ability to take the findings from the inspections and consistently turn them into an intervention plan designed to continue to minimize the frequency of infections is what explains their success.”
Eli Dapas, Clalit CEO, said, “The leadership and excellence of Clalit’s hospitals in infection control activity was achieved thanks to an organizational culture instilled by the management of Clalit and the hospital administrations. Clalit made infection control a strategic objective, and in recent years significant resources from Clalit’s independent sources have been allocated for this purpose. These resources combined with cooperation of the staff, across the board, led to these outstanding results.”
