Practical aspects for cost reduction in hospital infection control.

Nosocomial infections consume a significant amount of the total hospital budget. This article describes some practical aspects for cost reduction in hospital infection control. Within one year total savings of 91.000 DM could be achieved by discontinuing unnecessary disinfection procedures. Within six years 2,27 million DM could be saved by discontinuing unnecessary infection control procedures or employing cheaper methods. Of the total antibiotic costs 25% can be reduced by certain measures.