Related Experiment Videos
Repeated prevalence investigations on nosocomial infections for continuous surveillance
1Institute of Hygiene, Free University Berlin, Germany. Petra.Gastmeier@charite.de
Abstract:
In order to obtain an overview for the planning of further infection control activities, nine repeated prevalence studies were performed at monthly intervals. These occurred in the surgical units of eight medium-sized German hospitals. A total of 4984 surgical patients were investigated, the number of patients observed in each hospital varied from 365 to 913 patients, an average of 69.2 patients per prevalence study per hospital. A total of 212 nosocomial infections were found, the majority being surgical site (43.9%) and urinary tract infection (33.0%). The overall prevalence rate was 4.0%. More than four repeated investigations had only a minor influence on the 95% confidence intervals, and a follow-up of late microbiological reports increased the prevalence rate by only 7.5%. However, it was very useful to record the presence of urinary catheters on the prevalence day and also the preceding days; for instance, a device-associated prevalence of 7.8 urinary tract infections per 100 patients with urinary catheters was found on the day of investigation. In order to evaluate the situation in one's own surgical department by prevalence studies and for reasons of cost-effectiveness, the workload can be limited to four repeated studies in most hospitals. A further follow-up of later microbiological reports is not recommended, and it seems useful to concentrate on patients with indwelling devices.
Insights
This study on hospital-acquired infections in German surgical units found an overall prevalence of 4.0%. Limiting prevalence studies to four and focusing on device-associated infections is cost-effective for infection control planning.
Area of Science:
- Healthcare Epidemiology
- Infection Control
- Public Health
Background:
- Nosocomial infections pose a significant threat in surgical settings.
- Effective infection control strategies require accurate prevalence data.
- Previous studies have varied in methodology and scope.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the prevalence of nosocomial infections in German surgical units.
- To determine the optimal frequency and methodology for prevalence studies.
- To identify key areas for infection control interventions.
Main Methods:
- Nine monthly prevalence studies conducted in eight German hospitals.
- Investigation of 4984 surgical patients.
- Data collection focused on nosocomial infections, particularly surgical site and urinary tract infections, and device usage.
Main Results:
- An overall nosocomial infection prevalence rate of 4.0% was observed.
- Surgical site infections (43.9%) and urinary tract infections (33.0%) were most common.
- Focusing on patients with urinary catheters revealed a device-associated prevalence of 7.8 UTIs per 100 catheterized patients.
Conclusions:
- Four repeated prevalence studies are sufficient for reliable infection control planning.
- Follow-up of late microbiological reports offers minimal additional value.
- Concentrating on device-associated infections, especially urinary catheters, is recommended for cost-effective surveillance.