Hospitals put the squeeze on infection-prevention efforts

Deadly hospital infections cause almost 10,000 deaths a year and add more than $20 billion to the nations healthcare costs, but infection-control professionals say their ranks are being thinned and they are losing the resources they need to fight infections as part of cutbacks linked to the economic downturn. In a survey, the Association for Professionals in Infection Control says that 41% of nearly 2,000 respondents reported cuts in their budgets, including money for technology, staff, education, products, and equipment.