What is the significance of nosocomial infections

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Materials and Methods. Oxford Academic. Google Scholar. Hae Suk Cheong. Cheol-In Kang. Jeong A. Hospital-acquired pneumonia HAP , or nosocomial pneumonia, refers to any pneumonia contracted by a patient in a hospital at least hours after being admitted. It is usually caused by a bacterial infection, rather than a virus. It is the most common cause of death among nosocomial infections, and is the primary cause of death in intensive care units.

Discuss the risk factors that contribute to the acquiring of nosocomial infections or hospital-acquired infections. A nosocomial infection, also known as a hospital-acquired infection or HAI, is an infection whose development is favoured by a hospital environment, such as one acquired by a patient during a hospital visit or one developing among hospital staff.

Such infections include fungal and bacterial infections. They are aggravated by the reduced resistance of individual patients. Numerous risk factors in the hospital setting predispose a patient to infection. These risk factors can broadly be divided into three areas. Hospitals have sanitation protocols regarding uniforms, equipment sterilization, washing, and other preventive measures.

More careful use of antimicrobial agents, such as antibiotics, is also considered vital. Despite sanitation protocol, patients cannot be entirely isolated from infectious agents. Furthermore, patients are often prescribed antibiotics and other antimicrobial drugs to help treat illness; this can increase the selection pressure for the emergence of resistant strains.

The most important and frequent mode of transmission of nosocomial infections is by direct contact. Differentiate between the various types of transmission: air-borne, common vehicle, vector borne, direct and indirect contact transmission. The drug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria, for the most part, threaten only hospitalized patients whose immune systems are weak.

They can survive for a long time on surfaces in the hospital and they enter the body through wounds, catheters, and ventilators. Microorganisms carried in this manner can be dispersed widely by air currents and may become inhaled by a susceptible host within the same room or over a longer distance from the source patient, depending on environmental factors; therefore, special air-handling and ventilation are required to prevent airborne transmission.

Microorganisms transmitted by airborne transmission include Legionella, Mycobacterium tuberculosis and the rubeola and varicella viruses. Common vehicle transmission applies to microorganisms transmitted to the host by contaminated items, such as food, water, medications, devices, and equipment.

Cross-transmission : Contaminated surfaces increase cross-transmission. Published online Nov 1. Kiersnowska Z, Lemiech-Mirowska E, et al. Naczelna Izba Kontroli. Nazir A, Kadri SM. An overview of hospital acquired infections and the role of the microbiology laboratory. Int J Res Med Sci. Chwedoruk M, Gotlib J. Assessment of knowledge of nurses in surgical departments on hospital infections spread by the contact route.

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Lancet Infect Dis. Reducing hospital-acquired infections and improving the rational use of antibiotics in a developing country: an effectiveness study. Arch Dis Child. Send by email. We process personal data collected when visiting the website. The function of obtaining information about users and their behavior is carried out by voluntarily entered information in forms and saving cookies in end devices.

Data, including cookies, are used to provide services, improve the user experience and to analyze the traffic in accordance with the Privacy policy. Data are also collected and processed by Google Analytics tool more. You can change cookies settings in your browser. People now use nosocomial infections interchangeably with the terms health-care associated infections HAIs and hospital-acquired infections. For a HAI, the infection must not be present before someone has been under medical care.

About 1 in 10 of the people admitted to a hospital will contract a HAI. As medical care becomes more complex and antibiotic resistance increases, the cases of HAIs will grow. The good news is that HAIs can be prevented in a lot of healthcare situations. Read on to learn more about HAIs and what they may mean for you. People who develop new symptoms during their stay may also experience pain and irritation at the infection site. Many will experience visible symptoms. Bacteria, fungus, and viruses can cause HAIs.

Bacteria alone cause about 90 percent of these cases. Some of the common bacteria that are responsible for HAIs are:. Of the HAIs, P. Bacteria, fungi, and viruses spread mainly through person-to-person contact. This includes unclean hands, and medical instruments such as catheters, respiratory machines, and other hospital tools.

This can lead to bacteria that are resistant to multiple antibiotics. Anyone admitted to a healthcare facility is at risk for contracting a HAI. For some bacteria, your risks may also depend on:. A study found that nearly 11 percent of roughly people who underwent operations contracted a HAI. Contaminated areas can increase your risk for HAIs by almost 10 percent.