About ECDC Point prevalence survey

The objectives of the ECDC point prevalence survey of HAI and antimicrobial use in acute care hospitals are: 

• To estimate the total burden (prevalence) of HAI and antimicrobial use in acute care hospitals in the EU;
• To describe patients, invasive procedures, infections (sites, microorganisms including markers for antimicrobial resistance) and prescribed antimicrobials (compounds, indications):

        o By type of patients, medical specialty or type of healthcare facility;
        o By type of patients, medical specialty or type of healthcare facility;
        o By country, following adjustment or stratification;

• To disseminate results to those who need to know at local, regional, national and EU level in order:
• To raise awareness about HAI and antimicrobial use in acute care hospitals; To raise awareness about HAI and antimicrobial use in acute care hospitals;
• To train and reinforce surveillance structures and skills;
• To identify common EU problems and set up priorities accordingly;
• To evaluate the effect of strategies and guide policies for future action at the local, regional and national level (through repeated EU point prevalence surveys);
• To provide a standardised tool for hospitals to identify targets for quality improvement.