Research Study Of Mortality, Morbidity And Cost Of A Tertiary Level Healthcare Institution Essay

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

Hospital- acquired infections is also another concern for patients. The common health-acquired infections include surgical site infections, ventilator – associated pneumonia, catheter-associated urinary tract infections, blood stream and bacterial infections. Annually, these types of infections cost the U.S. about $9.8 billion. Topping the list for the most costly burden are surgical-site infections.

As a leader in health care, it is important that employees have the proper education and training for compliance with infection control. An infection control practitioner should be assigned surveillance of infections, calculate infection rates, and report these numbers to the appropriate personnel. Clinical nurses, such as nurses, should have periodic evaluations to ensure they are practicing patient safety. There are many other key factors that should be implemented in health care facilities to improve infection control. First is hand hygiene; there could be random observers periodically monitoring a certain floor or department for hand sanitation practices. Secondly, is the health care environment. This includes, making sure employees are sanitizing surfaces and equipment, educating visitors and families on infection control measures, and properly using personal protective equipment. Improper use, wear, and removal of personal protective equipment can cause serious health consequences to the worker and the patients, which means employees need be continuously trained and educated on this equipment.

Healthcare is an ever-growing, booming industry and as medical technology advances so should our standards of care. Once known as hospital acquired “nosocomial” infections, Healthcare Associated Infections (HAIs) are still afflicting the very patients we are to be treating. These patients could be our loved ones, friends, and family so to say that, “1 in 25 hospital patients have at least one HAI in a U.S. acute care hospital” (CDC, 2015), is still one too many.

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.

As a hospital, quality care should be a priority for patients that are going to be treated for a sickness, or any type of procedure that is going to take place. A lot of times a patient gets an infection while they were at the hospital, on top of being treated for what they original came in for. Health facilities should be environments of healing, which they are, but they also have tons of various types of germs and infections, which grasp onto individuals that have weak immune systems/are sick. Some infections that are at hospitals are Tuberculosis, VRE, VAP, C-Diff, UTI, and MRSA. Preventive measures to stop the spread of the infections is lacking tremendously in the work and aim to provide safety for all patient’s health. The work

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

There are many kinds of healthcare associated infections such as Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA), Clostridium difficile (C difficile), pneumonia, Catheter associated Urinary Tract Infection (UTI), surgical site infection, and Central Line-Associated Blood Stream Infection (CLABSI).

Hospital acquired infections are best described as: “Nosocomial infections are hospital acquired infections (HAI) also known as health care associated

Hospital acquired infections are one of the most common complications of care in the hospital setting. Hospital acquired infections are infections that patients acquired during the stay in the hospital. These infections can cause an increase number of days the patients stay in the hospital. Hospital acquired infections makes the patients worse or even causes death. “In the USA alone, hospital acquired infections cause about 1.7 million infections and 99,000 deaths per year”(secondary).

HAIs are usually unrelated to the original illness that the patient presents with. Studies have shown that hospital infections increase financial cost of care, morbidity, and mortality rates. Many causes can contribute to patients acquiring infections during a hospital stay. An increase of large number of patients with several diseases into a hospital with a decreased immune system, medical procedures that bypass the body's natural protective barriers, staff can carry pathogens from patients to patients, failure to follow preventative measures to prevent the spread of infection by staff, and a routine use of antimicrobials that creates resistance are just some of the few reasons why HAI occur (Revelas,

(Tortora, Funke, & Case, 2013, p. 414) Most hospitalized patients will be immune compromised to some extent and the hospital, by nature, is a pathogen rich environment. Ongoing efforts to minimize pathogens in the environment by all hospital employees, patients and visitors are crucial. Infection control nurses and/or committees should work continuously to identify and eradicate possible infection sources. Equipment, especially respirators and humidifiers must be kept scrupulously clean lest they become reservoirs for microbial growth. (Tortora, Funke, & Case, 2013, p. 417) Strategically placed signs warning visitors to avoid entering the hospital if they are unwell, strict compliance with standard precautions, private rooms and special ventilation systems for contagious patients are all essential in the effort to minimize contamination. Occasionally, airborne and droplet precautions are necessary, but most pathogens responsible for common HAIs are spread by direct or indirect contact. Chain of transmission is therefore the parameter over which nurses have particular influence, as nurses have the most direct, hands-on contact with

Healthcare-associated infection has been an issue in many facilities throughout the years. It is a health risk to patients and very costly to the facilities. In order to improve and make changes to the amount of infections that the facilities have you must first change the staff and facilities view of preventing healthcare-associated infection.

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), one out of twenty five patients have obtained a health care associated infection (HAI) during their visit at a healthcare facility. This is approximately 1.7 million HAIs per year, just including the United States. From these incidents, roughly 17% result in death (Allen, 2015). Healthcare associated infections have become a major patient safety issue around the world. Patients are obtaining infections under the care of healthcare professionals when they are seeking help for a non-related issue. HAIs are some of the most common

Studies shows that, HAP causes 15% of hospital acquired infection. And it is the main cause of nosocomial death (Schleder 2004). This high death rate is not what the hospital bargain for. Hospitals are equipped with improved equipment’s and qualified medical personnel. Patient are still dying of acquired infection from the