Common Nosocomial Infections: Healthcare Workers and Patients at Risk

Nosocomial infections are often called hospital-acquired infections, although they can be acquired at any other medical or healthcare facilities (HAI) as well, such as nursing homes, healthcare clinics, etc. Patients suffer the most from nosocomial infections, but even healthcare workers – which includes doctors – are often infected as well.

Although not always, it has been found that in a majority of the cases, they result from negligence and breach of safety protocols. As we take a look through the various common nosocomial infections, we will also be discussing active and passive solutions which can reduce their frequency to a significant degree, even under the severest of conditions.

Covid-19

The coronavirus disease of 2019 (Covid-19) has killed off more than a million people globally, with more deaths predicted to be on the horizon. As of now, the viral infection is both the leading cause of nosocomial infections, as well as deaths resulting from nosocomial infections in the US. There is no specific way to disinfect healthcare facilities from the novel coronavirus, other than the same established norms for infection control, which have been in place against preventing viral infections for decades.

Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infection (CAUTI)

Before the pandemic broke out, catheter-associated urinary tract infections were one of the most common HAIs. The longer a catheter is kept within the urinary tract of a patient, the higher are their chances of contracting a bacterial urinary tract infection (UTI). If hygienic and careful insertion techniques are not followed, then the bacteria will enter the patient’s body at the very moment of insertion. It can be prevented in a large number of cases by simply following the established protocols, as listed below:

• Any personnel touching or cleaning the device for any purpose must disinfect their hands adequately before doing so
• Clean the device and the skin around it, at least once a day
• The catheter tube should never be allowed to bend or twist
• The drainage bag must at all times be kept below the patient’s bladder, and it must be emptied frequently
• The catheter should not be kept inside the patient for a minute longer than necessary
• If the catheter must remain inside the patient for a long time, the tube needs to be changed twice a month

Surgical Site Infection (SSI)

A surgical site infection is extremely common as well, and as the name suggests, it is an HAI that is contracted by the patient when an infectious microbe enters a patient’s body though the surgical wound. It can happen during the surgery itself, but can also be acquired due to poor dressing and post-surgical care.

Prevention of Common and Uncommon Nosocomial Infections in Healthcare Facilities

Any healthcare facility can become a seat for these HAIs, alongside others such as pneumonia, Central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI), and Ventilator-associated events (VAE), to name just a few. Fortunately, it is possible for healthcare facilities to reduce such instances by practicing infection and disease control methods, as suggested by the CDC.

In order to implement those measures in a real-life scenario, book an appointment with Infection Control Results to discuss your own facility, probable HAIs, and adequate prevention methods. The steps taken will be able to minimize, if not eliminate nosocomial infection-related deaths, lawsuits, and prolonged hospital stays.