Expert consultation on healthcare-associated infection prevention and control (Meeting Report)

The purpose of this meeting, held from 25 to 26 February 2010, was to consult with a group of experts from across Europe and representatives of the World Health Organization (WHO) and European Commission to reach a consensus on the current needs and key priorities for developing evidence-based guidance on prevention of HAI at the European level. During the meeting, experts were asked to rank priority guidance topics for the top five organisational elements of hospital infection control programmes and top five care-specific measures. The criteria for priority ranking were based on the perceived level of effectiveness of interventions and extent of potential benefit in reducing the burden of HAI disease across Europe. Draft outlines on methods of development and content of ECDC guidance were also reviewed and agreed upon.