Nosocomial infections

Nosocomial infections are contracted because of an infection or toxin that exists in a certain location, such as a hospital. People now use nosocomial infections interchangeably with the terms health-care associated infections (HAIs) and hospital-acquired infections. HAI infections can occur, 48 hours after hospital admission, 3 days after discharge and 30 days after an operation. Examples of nosocomial infections include staphylococcus aureus, pseudomonas, aeruginosa, Surgical site infections, meningitis, urinary tract infections (UTIs).

Any patient is at risk for developing an HAI, although there are certain factors that increase the risk of infection. These include, for example, patient characteristics, such as, age or underlying diseases or conditions that may compromise the immune system; presence of indwelling or invasive medical devices, such as catheters or breathing tubes; complications from surgical procedures; and antibiotic use. The risk of infection related to invasive devices increases the longer the device is left in place. Patients in the healthcare setting are also at increased risk of HAIs from exposure to organisms that are transmitted between patients and healthcare workers.

There appears to be a direct relationship between increasing age and susceptibility to infections this means that elderly people are more likely to have nosocomial infections. Other vulnerable people include, pregnant woman, very young children such as premature babies and very sick children, those with medial conditions such as diabetes and also people with defective immunity these are people with diseases that compromise their immune system or people who are being treated with chemotherapy or steroids.

Controlling Nosocomial infections include:

1.      Hand hygiene this is one of the simplest approach to preventing the spread of infections. Surgical team personnel should wash their arms and forearms before a procedure and put on sterile gloves.

2.     Environmental hygiene one if the most common sources of transmission of infections is environmental surfaces. Certain types of microbial bacteria are capable of surviving on environmental surfaces for months at a time. When healthcare providers or patients touch these surfaces with their skin the bacteria can be transmitted, causing infection. Thus is it essential that the environment be kept clean and disinfected.

3.      Screening and cohorting patients: Screening can help identify what patient has what infection and can immediately be treated, also it is essential that patients who are suffering from the same disease or infection should be kept together in a designated area to avoid it from spreading to patients who don’t have it.

4.     Vaccinations, organisations must make sure that recommended vaccinations are being administered to their staff so that they don’t pass on a infections to the patients.

5.     Surveillance, organisations should gather data regarding infection patterns at their facility. They should also regular assess current infection prevention protocols. Having a robust infection surveillance program helps organization measure outcomes, assess processes of care and promote patient safety.

6.     Antibiotic stewardship, the misuse and overuse of antibiotics can put patients at a risk of contracting infections, Inappropriate antibiotic use may also result in patients becoming resistant to some drugs. If those patients contract an infection, it becomes harder to treat them and the risk of it spreading increases.

7.      Care coordination, Breakdown of communication in the surgical preparation, planning and postoperative care management among various care providers during the care transition process can lead to surgical site infections that could otherwise be avoided, there needs to be coordination of care and communication within the surgical team as well. There is a risk of breaking the sterile field in the surgery room particularly around the portion of the surgical procedure when multiple, critical activities are taking place at the same time that require staff to multitask, she says. Care coordination goes a long way in preventing surgical site infections.

8.    Following the evidence, keeping alongside of the latest findings regarding the spread of infections and strategies for prevention is essential for a successful infection prevention program. However, it is also important to first look at the reality of your organization’s processes and perform your own gap assessment before adopting new practices. What is new in the infection prevention field may not necessarily be the best fit for the organization.