Infection prevention and control challenges in Flemish homecare nursing: a pilot study

Area of Science:

• Home Healthcare
• Infectious Disease Epidemiology
• Public Health Surveillance

Background:

• Home nursing is increasingly providing invasive care.
• There is a lack of national data on healthcare-associated infections (HAI) in home care settings.
• This study addresses the need for surveillance in Flemish home care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the prevalence of HAI in the Flemish home care setting.
• To lay the groundwork for a national HAI surveillance program in home care.
• To identify patient characteristics and common nursing services in home care.

Main Methods:

• A pilot survey was conducted among 711 Flemish patients receiving home care.
• Data collection focused on patient demographics, comorbidities, and HAI prevalence.
• Infection prevalence was compared using physician diagnoses and European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) criteria.

Main Results:

• The majority of patients (74%) were over 65 years old, with half having comorbidities.
• Skin and soft tissue infections (9% vs. 8.5%) and urinary tract infections (4% vs. 4.5%) showed similar prevalence rates.
• A multidrug-resistant organism (MDRO) screening was positive in 6% of patients.

Conclusions:

• This pilot study provides initial insights into HAI prevalence in Flemish home care.
• Findings suggest the need for standardized national surveillance to monitor HAI in this evolving setting.
• The study identified practical considerations and potential challenges for future surveillance programs.