Healthcare-Associated Infection Rates in Türkiye (2014-2023): A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

This study aimed to describe the rate of Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs) in hospitals in the last decade (2014-2023), Türkiye.

The study was conducted using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statements. The keywords were "Türkiye", "healthcare-associated infections" (HAIs), "surgical site infections" (SSIs), "central line-catheter-associated bloodstream infections" (CLABSIs), "catheter-associated urinary tract infections" (CAUTI) and "ventilator-associated pneumonia" (VAP). We included all original articles reflecting the HAI rate of all adult patients in hospitals in Türkiye for at least one year of duration between January 01, 2014 and December 31, 2023.

In total, 1171 reports, including the keywords, were retrieved, and duplications were removed. After filtering according to the title and abstract, eight original articles were selected. The quality of four reports published in peer-reviewed journals was rated as high, and the four as moderate. The rate of invasive device-associated HAIs in intensive care units (ICUs) was 4.19 (CLABSI: 1.97, CAUTI: 1.94, VAP: 6.49) and 1.88 in inpatient wards. No article was published that reflected the overall surgical site infection rate of a hospital.

We detected that in the last 10 years (2014-2023) in Türkiye, invasive device-associated HAI rates were 1.88% in inpatient wards and 4.19% in ICU. More comprehensive studies should be conducted on HAI rates, frequently detected HAI agents, and resistance rates. Health centers should prioritize the issue, and intervention and prevention studies should be priority research topics.