Hospital Acquired Infections

Introduction1

Discussion2

Hospital Acquired Infection (HAI)2

1.Pathogenicity2

2.Virulence2

3.Invasiveness3

4.Toxigenicity3

Methods of Transmission of Hospital Acquired Infections3

1.Direct Contact4

2.Indirect Contact4

3.Droplet Spread4

4.Transmission through Vehicles4

Drug Resistant Strains5

Research Finding on Hospital Acquired Disease5

Conclusion7

Recommendations8

1.Use of Copper Surfaces8

2.Hand decontamination8

3.Working Clothes8

4.Masks9

5.Gloves9

6.Disinfection of Equipment of patients9

7.Sterilization9

8.Infection Control Education Program10

References11

Hospital Acquired Infections

Introduction

The hospital's physical environment is almost similar to the industrial community in many ways. The environmental health problem in both areas is almost the same. It can also be said that the hospital can be considered as a community of sick people. The patients get hospital acquired infections through their extended hospital stays and the large consumption of antibiotics. These infections can cause discomfort for the patients and negatively affect the cost and quality of healthcare that is provided in the healthcare institutions or hospitals. Hospitals and health care institutions try their best to reduce the incidence of hospital acquired infections through various procedures, policies and surveillance programs. All these measures are done to break the chain of these infections (www.casemed.com).

These hospital acquired diseases have become a big health problem. In 2002, there were about 1.7 million HAIs out of which 99000 lost their lives due to this infection. Most of the hospital acquired diseases can be prevented by the hospital personnel who are careful in conducting their responsibilities and duties regarding the care of surgical instruments (www.casemed.com).

The care for the surgical instruments is a continuous process and the process should be repeated every time the instruments are used. The hospital staff should be trained in the proper handling of the instruments regarding their use and procedures for the pre-cleaning, movement to the decontaminated region, examination and repairing, packaging, sterilization process and the sterile storage should be done properly. The hospital staff should also focus on cleaning the sterilize area and they should also decontaminate themselves along with their clothes (www.casemed.com).

Discussion

Hospital Acquired Infection (HAI)

Hospital Acquired Infection (HAI) is also known as the Nosocomial infection. It is defined as an infection that is acquired during the time the patient has spent in the health care and this infection was not present when the patient was admitted to the hospital (medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com). Infections that are acquired after more than forty eight hours of admission are also considered as hospital acquired infections (www.casemed.com). In order to understand the hospital acquired infections, their method of spreading, multiplying and the type of target they host should be understood (www.casemed.com). The various terms that are used to describe hospital acquired infections are as:

Pathogenicity

It is the capacity of the infectious agent to cause or produce disease in the vulnerable host (www.casemed.com).

Virulence

It is the degree of pathogenicity.

Invasiveness

It refers to the ability of the infectious agent to enter into the tissues of the susceptible host and then multiply and spread (medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com).

Toxigenicity

This term focuses on the ability to make toxic substances (medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com).

Methods of Transmission of Hospital Acquired Infections

These hospital acquired infection can spread through various methods such as droplet spread, indirect contact, direct contact and other alternative vehicles such as food or blood plasma. The increase in the surgical procedures has also increased ...