OKAYAMA UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL

Basic Idea about Measures against Hospital-acquired Infections

Okayama University Hospital is a facility providing the latest advanced medical care as a special-functioning hospital. In a medical care environment, hospital-acquired infections present a severe risk factor. It is an important responsibility to control and prevent hospital-acquired infections in patients, staff members, and visitors. The most effective means for the control and prevention of hospital-acquired infections is that all departments and all staff members work together, recognizing the importance of preventing hospital-acquired infections, and following preventive measures against hospital-acquired infections. All staff working for the Okayama University Hospital understand and follow the contents of the infection control manual.
For that reason, the Department of Infection Control and Prevention conducts surveillance of infectious diseases and microorganisms and works to prevent the outbreak of infectious diseases. It also has monitoring and consultation functions, such as in-hospital rounds, to respond quickly to severe infectious diseases that occur in the hospital.
A well-functioning control and prevention system for hospital-acquired infections engenders the reduction of hospital-acquired infections, which makes it possible to improve the quality of medical care and to reduce medical costs. Understanding that, all staff members strive to execute their practice while acknowledging the importance of preventing hospital-acquired infections on a daily basis.

Efforts for Measures against Hospital-acquired Infections

Okayama University Hospital as a whole systematically addresses the prevention of medical care-related infections. The Department of Infection Control and Prevention, consisting of specialists in different professions, takes the leading role.

Management Policy of the Department of Infection Control and Prevention

The Department of Infection Control and Prevention works to prevent medical care-related infections of all persons involved in the hospital: patients, their families, all hospital staff, students, outsourcing staff, volunteers, etc. It also provides support for infection control to other facilities as a core hospital in the region.

Activities

• Monitoring the occurrence of infectious diseases related to medical practice, epidemic infectious diseases, and tuberculosis, we quickly respond to them.
• Making rounds in the hospital to confirm the state of infection control and to give guidance, we also embrace the use of antibacterial agents and give guidance while making rounds.
• Conducting widely various educational and enlightenment activities to teach about preventive technology for hospital-acquired infections, the use of antibacterial agents, tuberculosis prevention, and environmental improvement, emphasizing the observance of hand hygiene by all staff members.
• Collecting information about medical care-related infections and providing consultation as a core hospital in the region, we conduct activities aimed at developing “community-based infection control.”