Philadelphia, PA – “Three thousand Greek citizens die every year of hospital acquired infections, to the tune of 1.2 billion euros per year to the Greek healthcare system”, says Dr. Theoklis Zaoutis .
The problem of hospital-acquired infection is currently a major problem in Greece and exceeds the magnitude seen in the USA and other European countries. In Greece, data suggests 1 in every 10 hospitalized patients develop one of these infections, many of these with antibiotic resistant bacteria.
Dr. Theoklis Zaoutis, Chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, spoke to guests last week at an educational fundraiser, hosted at Estia Restaurant in Philadelphia.
The event was sponsored by the AHEPA Hercules-Spartan Chapter#26, Daughters of Penelope Tritonia#129, National Hellenic Student Association (National/Philadelphia), and the Hellenic Medical Society of Philadelphia.
Zaoutis initiative CLEO (Collaborative Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Outcomes) was established in 2011. With initial support from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, the aim of CLEO is to improve patient safety and the quality of health services in Greek hospitals, with an emphasis on infection prevention and appropriate use of antibiotics.
CLEO is addressing this by educating and training Greek physicians, nurses, and healthcare technicians on the proper disinfecting procedures and protocols.