A Framework for the Evaluation of Hospital Infection Control Techniques

A cost-effectiveness method for evaluating measures againsthospital-aquired infections is based on a network interdictionmodel. Algorithms for optimal interdiction of the infectionnetwork are presented and their applicability is discussed.Implications of the approach for classifying measures,allocating costs and benefits, and analyzing the costs ofinfections are described. The method is being applied in aninterdisciplinary study conducted in several West Germanhospitals