Incidence and impact of infection in a nursing home care unit

In this study we examined the frequency of infection and its consequences in a Veterans Administration medical center nursing home care unit during its first 9 months of operation. A total of 231 patients were enrolled and were followed up for an average stay of 115 days. Sixty-nine infections occurred in 50 patients and yielded a period prevalence rate of 22% and an infection incidence rate of 2.6 infections per 1000 days of patient care. Symptomatic urinary tract infections, pneumonia, and skin and soft tissue infections accounted for 41%, 32%, and 17% of the infections, respectively. Staphylococci, streptococci, and aerobic gram-negative bacilli were the most common bacterial isolates. Thirty-four episodes of infection (49%) required administration of parenteral antibiotics in the nursing home care unit, and 21 episodes (30%) necessitated transfer to the acute care hospital for management. Infection caused one death and contributed to the death of 4 of the 55 other patients who died during the study period.