Research Suggests Ways To Prevent Hospital Infections

Two simple techniques could help hospitals reduce costly hospital-acquired infections, which affect more than 300,000 surgery patients every year, according to a pair of studies published on Thursday in the New England Journal of Medicine. The studies examined how the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus could cause infection after surgery.

• "Hospitals Could Stop Infections by Tracking Infections Patients Bring In, Studies Find" (Belluck, New York Times, 1/6).