Hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) are considered a serious public health problem that is associated with increased length of hospital stay, deterioration in the quality of life, morbidity, and mortality. Approximately 1.7 million infections are acquired in US hospitals annually (Arefian, Vogel, Kwetkat, & Hartmann, 2016, p. 1). HAIs occur in different types of healthcare settings, including medical centers, nursing homes, outpatient care, and acute care hospitals.
The most common types of HAIs tracked by healthcare agencies are catheter-associated urinary tract infections, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections, surgical site infections, and gastrointestinal infections. It is worth mentioning that HAIs represent a major economic concern both to healthcare providers and patients. The overall direct costs of HAIs incurred by hospitals range from $1,000 to $44,000 per case (Schmier et al., 2016, p. 199). The highest charges are attributable to ventilator-associated pneumonia, and the lowest charges are attributable to catheter-associated urinary tract infections.
Determination of the main risk factors for nosocomial infections is hindered by the differences in individual susceptibility to the acquisition of a certain infection. Among significant risk factors for HAIs are sex, race, age, admission diagnosis and its severity, long hospital stay, and overuse of antibiotics (Wang, Zhou, Chen, Yu, & Feng, 2019). No social determinant risk factors for HAIs have been identified by current research, though the differences between the rates of HAIs in rural and urban settings have been highlighted (Schmier et al., 2016). Therefore, it is possible to assume that social determinant risk factors for the condition are the distribution of resources among hospital settings and the level of education of healthcare professionals.
The Healthy People 2020 goal that relates to the selected practice problem of increased prevalence and incidence rates of HAIs is prevention, reduction, and ultimate elimination of healthcare-associated infections. This goal reflects the urgent need for the US healthcare system to improve the rates of nosocomial infections in all types of healthcare settings. The global initiative mainly concentrates on central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections.
It is a fact that MRSA can transmit to the hands and clothes of healthcare professionals even when there is no direct contact with bodily fluids. This emphasizes the need for the adoption of prevention practices to decrease infection transmission. One particular evidence-based intervention that can be embedded into routine practice is the use of barrier precautions, such as mask, gown, or gloves, as control measures for MRSA infections.
The use of disposable gloves and washable gowns by healthcare workers has been proven to prevent transmission of MRSA by protecting their hands and clothes from being contaminated by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (López-Alcalde et al., 2015). In turn, the use of masks could prevent the spread of the infection through the air. Therefore, it is recommended that healthcare workers use gloves, masks, or gowns when involved in high-risk care activities.
The measurable objective to address the above-stated Healthy People 2020 goal is the reduction of the standardized infection ratio of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections by fifty percent. The current standardized infection ratio stands at 1.0, and the desired standardized infection ratio is 0.5 (Office of Disease Prevention and Healthcare Promotion, 2018). The target standardized infection ratio can be reached by utilizing the best current evidence-based practices for the prevention of the spread of MRSA infections and staff education.
References
Arefian, H., Vogel, M., Kwetkat, A., & Hartmann, M. (2016). Economic evaluation of interventions for prevention of hospital acquired infections: A systematic review. PLOS One, 11(1), 1–15.
López-Alcalde, J., Mateos-Mazón, M., Guevara, M., Conterno, L. O., Solà, I., Nunes, S. C., & Cosp, X. B. (2015). Gloves, gowns and masks for reducing the transmission of meticillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in the hospital setting. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 16(7), 70–87.
Office of Disease Prevention and Healthcare Promotion. (2018). Healthcare-associated infections. Web.
Schmier, J., Hulme-Lowe, C., Semenova, S., Klenk, J., Deleo, P., Sedlak, R., & Carlson, P. (2016). Estimated hospital costs associated with preventable health care-associated infections if health care antiseptic products were unavailable. ClinicoEconomics and Outcomes Research, 8(1), 197–205.
Wang, L., Zhou, K., Chen, W., Yu, Y., & Feng, S. (2019). Epidemiology and risk factors for nosocomial infection in the respiratory intensive care unit of a teaching hospital in China: A prospective surveillance during 2013 and 2015. BMC Infectious Diseases, 19(145), 1–9.