NOSO Strategy: reduce Hospital and nursing home infections

Reducing the number of hospital and nursing home infections – that is the goal of the National Strategy for the Monitoring, Prevention and Control of Healthcare-Associated Infections (NOSO Strategy).

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Together against healthcare-associated infections

In Switzerland, 5.9 % of patients contract a hospital infection. Up to half those infections can be prevented through targeted measures. The Federal Government thus aims to better protect the population, i.e. to reduce the number of infections and associated long-term effects and deaths.

Webinar of 7 May 2024 on setting operational objectives for reducing HAIs in acute care hospitals

The reasons for a national strategy

Much has been done in the past to prevent healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). But what has been missing to date is

  1. a national system for monitoring the epidemiological situation and generally applicable;
  2. evidence-based standards for preventing and combating HAIs.

In addition, healthcare facilities need targeted support to ensure that the topic receives a higher priority in their everyday work. The NOSO Strategy provides the foundation for targeted and coordinated action. The Confederation, the cantons, hospitals and nursing homes as well as other important stakeholders implement the strategy jointly – for the only way we succeed in substantially and sustainably reducing hospital and nursing home infection is if all involved do their part.

At the national level, the implementation of the NOSO strategy contributes to the realisation of the Federal Council's health policy strategy 2020-2030, in particular to the goal of improving the quality of care.

For additional information on the NOSO Strategy, please see About the NOSO Strategy.

Further information

Vaccination

The Confederation, together with the cantons and other stakeholders, has drawn up a national vaccination strategy (NVS) with the aim of guaranteeing that the population is sufficiently protected from vaccine-preventable diseases.

Last modification 02.10.2024

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Contact

Federal Office of Public Health FOPH
Division of Communicable Diseases
Infection Control and Control Measures Section
Schwarzenburgstrasse 157
3003 Bern
Switzerland
Tel. +41 58 463 87 06
E-mail

Print contact

Operational targets for hospitals

The federal government and its partners have set operational targets through which they will create a common vision of how the overall rate of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) is to be reduced in Switzerland.

https://www.bag.admin.ch/content/bag/en/home/strategie-und-politik/nationale-gesundheitsstrategien/strategie-noso--spital--und-pflegeheiminfektionen.html