Patient Safety Of Health Care Associated Infections

Through medical advances in technology and practice, nurses have been afforded the opportunity to provide lifesaving care to patients. However, this lifesaving care comes with the risk of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). Generally speaking, HAIs are infections directly related with the delivery of healthcare and are often caused by viral, bacterial or

Healthcare acquired infections (HAI) not only contribute to exorbitant amounts of financial burden on the healthcare system but also attribute to staggering numbers of

Elimination of HAI’s are a top priority for many healthcare related organizations and as such, the reduction of certain types of HAIs have been achieved. On the national level, the HAI Progress Report states that there has been, “Au 46 percent decrease in central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI) and a 19 percent decrease in select surgical site infections (SSIs) between 2008 and 2013” as well as “an 8 percent decrease in hospital-onset MRSA bacteremia and a 10 percent decrease in hospital-onset C. difficile infections between 2011 and 2013” (CDC, 2015).

Hospital acquired infections (HAI) will begin to display signs and symptoms within 48 hours. In order to treat the infections, physicians need to diagnostic tools quickly. The manufacturer of new diagnostic test makers, Kalorama Information stated last year that the world demand for testing and treatment of HAI will be over 10 billion dollars by the year 2015, increasing from 9 billion dollars in 2010. Kalorama also stated that HAI has a 5% infection rate of 40 million hospital visits a year, causing 100,000 deaths in the U.S. annually (Kalorama Information, July 14, 2011). Early diagnosis will improve the patient's outcome and decrease the chance of death. According to Kalorama, 20-30% of the HAI can be prevented by the simple use of better hand washing and cross contamination avoidance although the others need more intensive changes such as hospital ventilation systems and using more disposable supplies (Kalorama Information, p. 113) .

Patients have varying susceptibility to develop an infection after exposure to a pathogenic organism. Some people have innate protective mechanisms and will never develop symptomatic disease and others exposed to the same microorganism may establish a commensal relationship and retain the organisms as an asymptomatic carrier (colonization) or develop an active disease process. Intrinsic risk factors predispose patients to HAIs. The higher likelihood of infection is reflected in vulnerable patients who are immunocompromised, underlying diseases, severity of illness, immunosuppressive medications, or medical/surgical treatments (Bauman, 2011). Extrinsic risk factors include surgical or other invasive procedures, diagnostic or therapeutic interventions (e.g., invasive devices, implanted foreign bodies, organ transplantations, immunosuppressive medications), and personnel exposures. In addition to providing a portal of entry for microbial colonization or infection, they also facilitate transfer of pathogens from one part of the patient’s body to another, from health care worker to patient, or from patient to health care

Researchers conducted a study to assess the etiology, incidence, and risk factors of CAUTIs in the ICU to determine whether risk factors differed based on whether or not the patient had a second form of HAI along with a CAUTI. Risk factors associated with CAUTIs included age, female gender, presence of infection on admission, underlying diseases such as diabetes mellitus, renal failure, heart failure or immune suppression, recent surgery, previous antibiotic usage, duration of catheterization, and length of stay (Temiz, et al.,

Can you imagine the misery of being admitted to the hospital, only to become infected with a separate illness? Healthcare-associated infections are defined as infections not present and without evidence of incubation at the time of admission to a healthcare setting. (CDC, 2016) These infections are acquired as an indirect result of the necessity for the patient to endure a hospital stay. While the rate of these types of infections has decreased in recent years, nearly 1.7 Million cases of healthcare-associated infections are reported annually according to the Center for Disease Control. Healthcare-associated infections are a threat to patient safety and with just under 100,000 deaths a year resulting from healthcare-associated infections, more needs to be done to protect the people we have sworn to do no harm to.

Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) are infections patients can acquire in a healthcare facility while being given medical care. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) website notes six major sites of infection that patients are at risk of acquiring while receiving care in acute care hospitals in the United States: pneumonia, gastrointestinal illness, urinary tract infections, primary bloodstream infections, surgical site infections from any inpatient surgery, and other types of infections. Their website recounts that as early as 1847 evidence is documented of persons acquiring infections while receiving care in a hospital. The website for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service’s Agency for Healthcare Research

Stephanie Ardito, after learning about three MRSA infections in her neighbor, decides to research on hospital infections. She found alarming high numbers of HAIs spread. For example, in 2009, of 1.8 million people that acquired HAIs, 100,000 of them died. HAIs also place an additional burden on hospitals. A research in 2010 estimated a $4.4 billion of additional hospital care resulting from treating HAIs. Quoting from an article titled “Staying Safe in the Hospital,” Ardito lists actions that patients can take in order to prevent HAIs. Patients should monitor their medication intake, medical test results, follow-up treatment plans; look for coordinated care from multiple caregivers; follow methods to prevent infections, specially washing hand; speak up to physician when there is a concern about HAIs; and to insist on discharging to prevent hospital readmission. This article is a great combination of many statistics from many researches, providing evidences for a growing issue of HAIs. Lastly, the author also compiles

Health-care associated infections (HAI), which individuals obtain while they are receiving healthcare for another condition, have been prevalent for many years in health care. These infections have led to the loss of tens of thousands of lives and have cost the U.S. health care system billions of dollars each year as they are a significant cause of illness and death (ODPHP, 2017). The Healthcare-associated infections Action Plan, developed by the US Department of Health and Human Services, was developed to provide a map for preventing HAIs in these health care facilities. The purpose of this paper is to discuss how the prevention of HAI provision of the ACA is intended to achieve higher value, synthesize evidence that the policy has

Hospital acquired infections or healthcare associated infections (HAI’S) which is also known as nosocomial infections have been a burden to society for decades, which has gained the top ten positions in the cause of death in the united states (CDC, 2015), although there is a decrease it still poses as a problem. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) there are several types of healthcare associated infections, which “includes central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABI), catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI), and ventilator-associated pneumonia infections (VAP)” (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2015). Some other common types of HAI’s which are also Multidrug-Resistant Organisms

Healthcare associated infections is one of the common causes of morbidity and mortality in the United States is healthcare associated infections (HAIs).

Hospital acquired infections are spread by numerous routes including contact, intravenous routes, air, water, oral routes, and through surgery. The most common types of infections in hospitals include urinary tract infections (32%),

Healthcare acquired/associated infections (HAIs) are caused by viral, bacterial, and fungal pathogens. These are infections we can get while we are receiving medical treatment in a healthcare facility. These infections can be serious, but are also very preventable. The most common HAIs are central line-associated bloodstream infections, nosocomial pneumonia, catheter-associated urinary tract infections, and surgical site infections. The most frequent mode of transmission of hospital-acquired infections is by direct contact. These infections are very serious and can possibly lead to death, so prevention of these infections are extremely vital. This is why hand washing, wearing gowns, and practicing sterile techniques is so important

Infection control within a healthcare facility is the prevention of the spread of many microorganisms from patient to patient, patient to a member of staff and also from the staff member to the patient that are in there care. The World Health Organisation have defined healthcare associated infections as an infection occurring in a patient in a hospital or other healthcare facility in whom the infection was not present or incubating at the time of admission. Every healthcare facility from hospitals to general practitioners office should have a designated member of staff or a team of people who ensure that the infection control procedures are abided by and adhered to at all times in order to protect both staff and patients. More than 300,000 people each year are affected by a healthcare associated infection and the cost of treatment for these patients is over £3,000 and there is also the cost of treatment after discharge.