[Economic impact of healthcare-associated infections].

Healthcare-associated infections are not only an important public health problem but also have a relevant socioeconomic impact. The overall estimated yearly costs vary between 3.5 billion euros in the United States to 1.

[Epidemiology of breast cancer in a local health organisation of Naples (Italy), 1995-2003].

A database was created by the authors to collect data on breast cancer epidemiology in a local health organisation of Naples. Data on women residing in the territory of the local health organisation and who had received a diagnosis of breast cancer, based on clinical, radiological, and pathology criteria, between 1 January 1995 and 31 December 2003, was collected through linkage of various data sources. Overall, 475 new cases were identified in women aged over 34 years at diagnosis.

[Data quality of a breast cancer database in Naples, Italy. Do the necessary conditions exist for implementing a disease registry?].

Data quality is one of the fundamental aspects of health information systems and is influenced both by the type and accuracy of the data sources used. The aim of this study was to assess the quality of data in a breast cancer database held by a local health authority in Naples (Italy) and to evaluate the possibility of implementing a disease registry. The database collects information from different sources and was evaluated in terms of completeness, accuracy and comparability.