Hospital Acquired Infection Research Paper

Microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites can be transmitted to patients via poor quality cross infection control measures e.g. inadequate cleaning, disinfecting and sterilising of instruments, equipments and surfaces around the hospital

Hospital acquired infections (HAI) are infections that develop in a hospital environment. This could be anything from a patient acquiring the infection during their hospital visit or the spreading of the infection amongst hospital staff. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has estimated that 1.7 million HAI’s contribute to at least 98,000 deaths per year in the United States. On a more economical aspect; the United States spends $45 billion per year on nosocomial related health problems (Schmidt, pg 31).

ill patients are at risk of getting further diseased by a number of hospital infections. Patients

According to Hsu (2014), “health care-associated infections are the leading cause of morbidity and mortality among hospitalized patients” (p. 377). Almost 75,000 annual deaths are caused by the healthcare associated infections (HAIs), placing them as a seventh leading cause of death in the USA. The peri-operative nurses play a substantial role in protecting patients and healthcare workers, from agents causing infection, by breaking the chain of infection. Numerous chances exist in peri-, intra-, and post-operative settings to introduce pathogens to clients via the operative site, access of peripheral or central catheter, and the use of invasive devices. Furthermore, blood-borne pathogens can be introduced to the patients by the use of unsafe injection practices. Unsafe handling of soiled sharps or sharps without safety locking mechanisms, places the healthcare workers at a higher risk for exposure to blood-borne pathogens (Patrick and Hicks, 2013). Application of standard precaution in those clinical settings can contribute to lower risk of HAIs.

Chatfield, S. L., Nolan, R., Crawford, H., & Hallam, J. (2017). Acute care nurses' responses and

How does one feel when he or she is admitted into a hospital or health care facility, and on the news there is a feature on infections within the health care facilities. A major problem today’s time in the health care is the risk for nosocomial infections. These nosocomial infections are contracted with in the hospital or any health care facility, and are also known as health care acquired infections “H.A.I.”. The risk of these infections, are now higher than ever. With the constant flow of patients into the health care facility, it is nearly impossible to make sure the area is clean and safe for the next patient. This is a major problem just because the types of infection that are contracted. Infections include: Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus

Currently, in the medical field, there is a large rate of incidence where infections are hospital acquired, or in other words a high rate of infections acquired through contact with hospital personnel or while in the hospital environment. The high rate of infections acquired has a primary source the close contact within the hospital environment of disease(s) that can be transmitted via the necessary touching done of patients by the health care workers. One study shows that many of the pathogens responsible for nosocomial infections are transmitted from patient to patient via the hands of health-care workers (Polat, Parlak, Cevik, 2011). This is true of every hospital and is an ongoing problem that has been addressed in a myriad of ways, some more effective than others.

Hospital acquired infections or HAIs are one of the main contributing factors that made health care organizations realize the need to continuously revise and improve infection control strategies. Infection control practices extend from the very simple proper hand washing techniques to the more complex decolonization processes to eradicate reservoirs of these pathogens, especially drug resistant strains like MRSA. For patients, a HAI can lead to very dangerous complications and in the case of drug resistant strains there’s an increased potential for prolonged treatment, sepsis and risk of death. This is why in recent years health insurance companies have been refusing to pay for the treatment of suspected HAIs which leaves the cost to fall on

In some cases, patients die from the infections. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that approximately two million people acquire infections while in the hospital each year, and approximately 90,000 of these patients die as a result of their infections (Limaye, Mastrangelo, & Zerr, 2008). All of these negative reports suggest it is very important and necessary for healthcare providers to focus on an evidence- based confirmed clinical practice solution to help eliminate hospital-acquired infections.

The ideal image of a hospital is a safe place of sanctuary and healing, while in reality hospitals are an ideal place to spread infection, because in one place you have lots of people with infection, lots of vulnerable people and lots of traffic between infected and vulnerable people. A nosocomial infection can be defined as a local or systemic condition resulting from an infectious agent that occurs during admission to a healthcare facility, but was not present on admission. Viruses are a significant cause of nosocomial infection, accounting for 5% of all nosocomial infections in healthcare facilities annually in our healthcare facilities (Wright & Bieluch, 1993). Viral infections are generally most common in infants and children; however other groups can be affected including the elderly, patients with underlying medical conditions, immunocompromised patients and those in long-term healthcare facilities. These nosocomial viral infections are often associated with increased morbidity and mortality.

The hospital is in compliance with infection control protocol according to the CDC standard guidelines. “Hand hygiene, contact precautions, as well as cleaning and disinfecting patient care equipment and the patient’s environment are essential strategies for preventing the spread of health care–associated

A nosocomial infection — also called “hospital acquired infection” can be defined as: An infection acquired in hospital by a patient who was admitted for a reason other than that infection (WHO 2002, Benenson 1995, Thomas 1993). The infection might not be necessarily acquired in a hospital, they may occur in any other health care facility as well, therefore they are more appropriately known as Health-care-associated-infection (HCAI). A Healthcare associated infection is that infection which was not present or incubating at the time of admission and includes infections acquired in the hospital but

Research shows that hospital acquired infections increase inpatient days, contribute to more incidences of long-term disability, and increase the resistance of microbes to antimicrobials In addition, longer inpatient stays increase health care related expenses, which contributes to higher insurance rates. Most importantly, hospital acquired infections increase mortality rates. Hand hygiene is the

Contamination may result from the healthcare workers hand or direct patient shedding of bacteria which are surviving up to several months on the surfaces. Inadequate hand hygiene of the healthcare worker before and after entering patient zone may result in cross-transmission of pathogens and patient colonization or infection (Vincenzo et al,

Human spread is one of the most common ways that infectious diseases transfer to another host. Some examples of human spread is through the air which is called airborne spread disease, through ingesting small amounts of human faeces and by bodily fluids such as mucous which is exerted through sternutation or by coughing. One of the most dangerous places of the modern world for infectious diseases to spread is in hospitals. Hospitals are thought to be a safe haven from diseases that may kill people but in reality hospitals contain some of the most powerful infectious diseases that can and are resistant to modern medicine. Within hospitals the population can be overcrowded and this becomes and breeding ground of sick individuals passing around infectious diseases. Human spread within the hospitals becomes very dangerous as there are many sick people within the same building. Diseases