Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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Question 309: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the number of patients who have been readmitted to hospital with infection following treatment in private clinics in Dublin and Limerick where cross-infection resulting from reduced staff numbers or use of dialysis lines rather than fistulas was the cause; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29796/09]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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It is not possible to extract the information requested by the Deputy from the current Hospital Inpatient Enquiry (HIPE) system. In that system, it is only possible to identify re-admissions to the same hospital. Also, full HIPE coverage exists for publicly funded acute hospitals only. Data on private hospitals and facilities are not available except in two cases where the data is not sufficiently complete for reporting purposes.

HIPE allows for recording of a principal diagnosis and 19 additional (secondary) diagnoses. These diagnoses are coded using the Australian Modification of the International Classification of Diseases 10th Revision (ICD-10-AM). This data does not include specific information on whether an infection was caused by cross infection resulting from reduced staff numbers or use of dialysis lines rather than fistulas.