Hospital-Acquired Infections and Antibiotic Usage in the Boston City Hospital — January, 1964

INFECTION occurring during hospitalization is a major clinical and epidemiologic problem. Previous studies1 2 3 4 have focused primarily on hospital-acquired staphylococcal infections. Because of an impression that the frequency of such infections may have decreased and those caused by gram-negative bacilli correspondingly increased since the introduction of the penicillinase-resistant penicillins, a simple spot survey of clinically apparent infection acquired after admission to the Boston City Hospital was undertaken.MethodAll patients on the wards of the Boston City Hospital were seen by one or another of us during the week of January 21–27, 1964. Patients were considered to have hospital-acquired infection if . . .