Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 18, 2026
Observational Study Protocol for Repeated Clinical Examination and Critical Care Ultrasonography Within the Simple Intensive Care Studies
Published on: January 16, 2019
Surveillance and infection control in an intensive care unit
Giovanni Battista Orsi1, Massimiliano Raponi, Cristiana Franchi
1Department of Public Health Sciences, University La Sapienza Rome, Rome, Italy. giovanni.orsi@uniroma1.it
Objective:
To evaluate the effect of an infection control program on the incidence of hospital-acquired infection (HAI) and associated mortality.
Design:
Prospective study.
Setting:
A 2000-bed, university-affiliated hospital in Italy.
Patients:
All patients admitted to the general intensive care unit (ICU) for more than 48 hours between January 2000 and December 2001.
Methods:
The infection control team (ICT) collected data on the following from all patients: demographics, origin, diagnosis, severity score, underlying diseases, invasive procedures, HAI, isolated microorganisms, and antibiotic susceptibility.
Interventions:
Regular ICT surveillance meetings were held with ICU personnel. Criteria for invasive procedures, particularly central venous catheters (CVCs), were modified. ICU care was restricted to a team of specialist physicians and nurses and ICU antimicrobial therapy policies were modified.
Results:
Five hundred thirty-seven patients were included in the study (279 during 2000 and 258 in 2001). Between 2000 and 2001, CVC exposure (82.8% vs 71.3%; P < .05) and mechanical ventilation duration (11.2 vs 9.6 days) decreased. The HAI rate decreased from 28.7% in 2000 to 21.3% in 2001 (P < .05). The crude mortality rate decreased from 41.2% in 2000 to 32.9% in 2001 (P < .05). The most commonly isolated microorganisms were nonfermentative gram-negative organisms and staphylococci (particularly MRSA). Mortality was associated with infection (relative risk, 2.11; 95% confidence interval, 1.72-2.59; P < .05).
Conclusion:
Routine surveillance for HAI, coupled with new measures to prevent infections and a revised policy for antimicrobial therapy, was associated with a reduction in ICU HAls and mortality.
Related Concept Videos
01:22Healthcare Associated Infections II: Preventive Measures
The best practices for preventing healthcare-associated infections include hand hygiene, patient risk...
01:26Standard Precaution
Hand hygiene is the most crucial means to prevent the transmission of disease. Employers are legally required to provide their workers with personal protective equipment (PPE) to minimize exposure or contact with...
01:25Transmission-based Precautions II: Airborne and Protective Environment
Airborne precautions:
Use airborne precautions when treating patients known or suspected to have diseases that spread through the air—for example, tuberculosis or measles. These organisms are present in smaller droplets expelled by an infected person and...
01:20Infection
The chain begins with pathogens: bacteria, viruses, fungi, prions, or parasites such as protozoa helminths. These can be present on the skin as transient or resident flora, or they can be acquired from the environment. Identifying and treating the type of infection and...
01:29Endocarditis IV: Nursing Management
01:17Transmission-based Precautions I: Contact, Enteric, and Droplets
Contact Precautions:
Contact precautions are the measures taken to prevent the transmission of infectious agents, especially epidemiologically important microorganisms such as MRSA or influenza, primarily transmitted through direct or indirect contact with an...