NOSOCOMIAL INFECTION
A hospital-acquired infection (HAI), also called nosocomial infection in medical literature, is an infection whose growth is favored by a hospital environment. It may be acquired by a patient while visiting hospital or it may spread among hospital staff. Nosocomial infections include fungal and bacterial infections and are triggered by the decrease in resistance of a person.
TYPES
Modern healthcare employs many types of invasive contrivances and procedures to treat infected persons and to avail them recuperate. Infections can be associated with the contrivances utilized in medical procedures, such as catheters or ventilators.
Infections may withal occur at surgery sites, CDC works to monitor and avert these infections because they are a paramount threat to patient safety.
The main types of nosocomial infections are:
• Ventilator-associated pneumonia
• Surgical site infection
• Catheter-associated Urinary Tract Infections
• Central Line-associated Bloodstream Infection
CAUSE
Nosocomial infections are commonly transmitted when hospital staff becomes casual and individuals associated with the hospital practices do not coduct correct hygiene on regular basis. The use of outpatient treatment is on the increase and continuously increased during the past decade. A greater number of people are hospitalized today and are more likely to be seriously ill, speacially those with more weakened immune systems, than in the past. Moreover, some medical procedures bypass the body's natural protective barriers. Since medical staff treats many patients on daily basis, the staff themselves serve as a source of spread of pathogens. Therefore, the staff act as vectors to HAI.
TRANSMISSION
The drug-resistant Gram-negative bac...
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...en 4,500 and 7,000 deaths. A survey in Lombardy gave a rate of 4.9% of patients in 2000.
United Kingdom
Estimate show a 10% infection rate, with 8.2% estimated in 2006.
Switzerland
Calculations range between 2 and 14%. A national survey gave a rate of 7.2% in 2004.
Finland
The rate was estimated at about 8.5% of patients in 2005.
Belgium
In Belgium the outbreak of HAI’s is about 6.2%. Round about 125 500 patients become infected by a nosocomial infection each year, resulting in 3000 deaths. The extra costs for the health indemnification are estimated to be approximately €400 million per year.
CONCLUSION
Through an effective analysis of nonsocomial infections we are able to recognize the agents that commonly become the cause. The study of these agents helps us to formulate the methods to prevet them. The recent updates are also an important source of avoiding HAI’s.
Hospital-acquired infections (HAI) are preventable and pose a threat to hospitals and patients; increasing the cost, nominally and physically, for both. Pneumonia makes up approximately 15% of all HAI and is the leading cause of nosocomial deaths. Pneumonia is most frequently caused by bacterial microorganisms reaching the lungs by way of aspiration, inhalation or the hematogenous spread of a primary infection. There are two categories of Hospital-Acquired Pneumonia (HAP); Health-Care Associated Pneumonia (HCAP) and Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP).
Amoran OE, Sogebi AO, Fatugase OM (2013) Rates and Risk Factors Associated with Surgical Site Infections in a Tertiary Care Center in South-Western Nigeria. Int J Trop Dis Health. 3(1): 25-36.
The significant increase in antibiotic resistance amongst pathogens is making it very difficult to successfully treat infections, especially in intensive care units (ICU’s). Prevention of the spread of infection among patients within the hospitals is fast becoming amongst the most important methods for controlling infections. This requires the identification of the different acquisition routes, that is, routes by which bacterial colonization occurs. In this article, the authors analyzed the relative importance of various bacterial acquisition routes that resulted in colonization of the bacteria using data from individual patients.[1] This article was chosen because of the impact it can have on the healthcare system if the knowledge obtained from the algorithm regarding the most prevalent colonization routes in hospitals can help in the preventing spread of infections. Also the ability of the algorithm to incorporate specific patient characteristics makes it both novel and appealing.
HAV is known to be an infectious disease that usually occurs in children and young adults .The disease is usually transmitted from person to person through contaminated food, liquids or oral fecal route. An example would be when someone is carrying the virus and doesn’t wash their hands after using the restroom and then puts food in their mouth. HAV is most common in developing countries because of the living conditions and inadequate water, poor sewage facilities and sanitary conditions. The highest HAV levels in the world are from India,” Earlier reports suggest that India is hyperendemic for HAV infection2,4-6 with very high infection rates,” (Sowmyanarayanan). Most HAV are without severe complications, “Virus HAV infection rarely causes fulminant hepatic failure in people…,” (Vento,p.1) . The symptoms for HAV are high fever, nausea, vomiting and jaundice...
The way in which this problem was able to occur is that because now we have things like hospitals, or other sorts of locations used to aid the public we have now created the opportunity for many people with different illnesses to all accompany each other. This in turn has created a breading ground for bacteria. Thus the more compact the area, like the ER, the more likely to catch some form of illness. Since M.R.S.A. has become too prevalent in the world the likely-hood of people contracting the disease is much higher. Also since it doesn’t require a host for survival, touching contaminated surfaces can transmit it. There have even been instances where hospital staffs accidently were carrying the disease around the hospital on their uniforms. In a study done by Russel Olmsted, 60% of doctors and 65% of nurses were found caring M.R.S.A. on their uniforms. This leads to the risk that every patient they helped or were near during the time they were contaminated are now at risk for the disease (MNT, 2011).
Healthcare-associates Infections (HAIs) are infections that patients acquire during the course of receiving healthcare treatment for other conditions and can be devastating or even deadly ("CDC - HAIs the Burden - HAI", 2013). An HAI was defined as a localized or systemic condition that (1) results from an adverse reaction to the pres¬ence of an infectious agent(s) or its toxin(s), (2) that occurs during a hospital admission, (3) for which there is no evidence the infection was present or incubating at admission, and (4) meets body site-specific criteria (Klevens et al., 2007, p.2).
This literature review will analyze and critically explore four studies that have been conducted on hand hygiene compliance rates by Healthcare workers (HCWs). Firstly, it will look at compliance rates for HCWs in the intensive care units (ICU) and then explore the different factors that contribute to low hand hygiene compliance. Hospital Acquired infections (HAI) or Nosocomial Infections appear worldwide, affecting both developed and poor countries. HAIs represent a major source of morbidity and mortality, especially for patients in the ICU (Hugonnet, Perneger, & Pittet, 2002). Hand hygiene can be defined as any method that destroys or removes microorganisms on hands (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2009). According to the World Health Organization (2002), a HAI can be defined as an infection occurring in a patient in a hospital or other health care facility in whom the infection was not present or incubating at the time of admission. The hands of HCWs transmit majority of the endemic infections. As
The focus of health care is and has always been, practicing good hygiene, living a healthy lifestyle, and having a positive attitude reduces the chance of getting ill. Although there is not much prevention we can take for some of the diseases but we can certainly practice good hand hygiene to prevent infection and its ill effects. Research proves that hand washing is surely the most easy and effective way to prevent infection in health care. The question for this research: Is Hand washing an effective way to prevent infection in health care? It led to the conclusion that due to the high acuity, high patient: staff ratio, and lack of re evaluation certain units in the health care facilities cannot adhere to correct hand washing guidelines. Hand
wards. Clinical Microbiology And Infection: The Official Publication Of The European Society Of Clinical Microbiology And Infectious Diseases, 18(12), 1215-1217. doi:10.1111/j.1469-0691.2011.03735.x
Secondary:Curtis, L. (2008). Prevention of hospital-acquired infections: review of non-pharmacological interventions. Journal of Hospital Infection, 69(3), 204-219. Revised 01/20
Infection control in dentistry crucial for the well being of employees as well as the patients. Many precautions must be taken to avoid serious illness or injuries.There are many steps and guidelines to follow in infection prevention but as employees in the dental office we must take the time to ensure no harm is done to the clients or ourselves.
Avoiding infection or, at least, breaking the chain of transmission is vital in any setting, but more so in healthcare environments where infections and vulnerable hosts are moving under the same roof. What needs to be done, then?
...98,000 Americans die from these each year (Braunstein, 2012). With the treatment of holistic health care, the incidence rate of HAIs in hospitals can be decreased as well.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) was actively involved in developing and recommending infection-control practices and procedures for hospitals.
Due to the fact that during a surgery you will be using your hands you must be very careful even if you are wearing safety equipment. Protective wear can help tremendously by eliminating any easy route of transmission of any viruses, or diseases etc. Through medical school it will be required that surgeons wear gear that will protect them. Always wear protective gear no matter how little the operation could be, surgeons will always be exposed to some kinds of bacteria which can be foreign to your own. According to Paul A. Ruggieri M.D.’s novel, “I love being a surgeon. I love being able to make a clear, tangible difference in the quality of a person’s life. Sometimes I even save a life. I am honored every time a patient comes to me, and I’m humbled at the trust that’s given.” Surgeons should have the same mindset as Dr. Ruggieri because making a difference in someone else 's life should be a huge priority. They should want to help someone with their problems. Surgeons leave a mark on other people’s life, and it should always be a positive one. The satisfaction knowing a surgery was performed on someone and treated their problems would feel