Makeup Seminar #5

Sarah Bayouth
Role in Preventing Hospital Acquired Infections
Healthcare associated infections are a phenomenon occurring all over the world although

they have decreased in incidences over the years. Healthcare associated infections (HAIs), are

infections that patients can acquire when receiving medical care in an organization. These types

of infections are often linked with high morbidity and mortality. About 1 in 25 patients in the

U.S. in the hospital setting are diagnosed with at least one infection related to hospital care

(CDC, 2017). Additional infections may occur in other healthcare settings. Some of these HAIs

may include Catheter-associated urinary tract infections, Central-line associated bloodstream

infections, Surgical site infections, Hospital acquired pneumonia, Clostridium difficile infections

and Ventilator associated events. Stakeholders that are affected by these incidences include

patients, physicians, employers, insurance companies, pharmaceutical firms and the government

(Cho et al, 2020). When a hospital acquired infection occurs it not only affects the individual

patient but a whole community. These infections can be linked to multidrug resistant infections

which can create a major problem for those affected.

Evidence based practice guidelines are in place to assess for risk factors related to

hospital associated infection. Failure to follow these guidelines can result in medical negligence.

Some patient risk factors that need to be assessed include duration of hospital stay, severity of

illness or injury, and the function of one’s immune system. Some organizational risk factors

include cleanliness of the hospital, and the treatment setting as a whole including the cleanliness

of the water systems, HVAC system, sterility of medical devices and instruments, concentration

of patient beds, and the cleanliness of building surfaces (Legal liability for Hais, 2016). Some

latrogenic risk factors include the care with which hospital staff perform. This can include hand
washing, use of antibiotics, and the care during invasive procedures like intravenous

administration of medication, urinary catheterization, and intubation. Healthcare Associated

infections can be transmitted anywhere during a hospital stay.

A primary strategy in hospitals is to prevent the transmission of infectious agents from

healthcare workers to patients or vice versa. Some recommendations that leaders must

implement include hand washing, using aseptic technique when necessary, and securing

catheters properly. Disinfection of hospital rooms and encouraging decreased environmental

contamination is important. Hand Hygiene is an old but crucial part in the implementation of

preventing HAIs. It has been identified as the single most beneficial behavior change that

healthcare workers can make to impact infection control. The performance of proper hand

hygiene can potentially reduce nosocomial infections 40-70% (Haque et al, 2020).

Noncompliance of handwashing is a global public health issue that requires more standardized

policies, monitoring, and continued research. Hand washing strategies in hospitals have been

reported to be weak and in need of improvement. Regular hand hygiene in employees does not

typically reach over 40% (Haque et al, 2020). As a healthcare worker it is important to follow

guidelines regarding the prevention of healthcare associated infections. Staying up to date with

the best practices is crucial. Practicing proper hand hygiene is a key factor to prevent healthcare

associated infections in patients.

 References

CDC. (2017, December 14). Healthcare-associated infections (HAIS). Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention. Retrieved November 15, 2021, from
https://www.cdc.gov/winnablebattles/report/HAIs.html.

Cho, I., Lee, M., & Kim, Y. (2020, August). What are the main patient safety concerns of
healthcare stakeholders: A mixed-method study of web-based text. International journal of
medical informatics. Retrieved November 15, 2021, from
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7198194/.

Legal liability for Hais: Understanding Infection Prevention's role in Risk Management.
Infection Control Today. (2016, March 11). Retrieved November 15, 2021, from
https://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/view/legal-liability-hais-understanding-infection-
preventions-role-risk-management.

Haque, M., McKimm, J., Sartelli, M., Dhingra, S., Labricciosa, F. M., Islam, S., Jahan, D.,
Nusrat, T., Chowdhury, T. S., Coccolini, F., Iskandar, K., Catena, F., & Charan, J. (2020,
September 28). Strategies to prevent healthcare-associated infections: A narrative
overview. Risk management and healthcare policy. Retrieved November 29, 2021, from
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7532064/.