Variability in Healthcare-Associated Infection Prevalence in Hospitals
Author Information
Author(s): Rui Malheiro, André Amaral Gomes, Carlos Fernandes, Ana Fareleira, Ana Lebre, Dulce Pascoalinho, João Gonçalves-Pereira, José-Artur Paiva, Rita Sá-Machado, Piotr B. Heczko
Primary Institution: EPIUnit—Instituto de Saúde Pública, Universidade do Porto
Hypothesis
How does the prevalence of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) vary between hospital services and what contextual characteristics may explain this variance?
Conclusion
The study found that the prevalence of healthcare-associated infections varies significantly across different hospital departments and is influenced by various contextual factors.
Supporting Evidence
- The overall prevalence of any HAI under surveillance was 3.5%.
- In ICUs, the prevalence of HAIs was 7.9%, while surgical departments had a prevalence of 5.9% and medical departments 1.7%.
- Age and the number of devices were identified as individual-level variables associated with a higher risk of infection.
- Having more infection prevention doctors and nurses per acute bed was significantly associated with higher infection rates.
Takeaway
This study looked at how often infections happen in hospitals and found that different departments have different rates of infection based on their specific conditions.
Methodology
A cross-sectional study was conducted using data from the European point prevalence survey of HAI prevalence, analyzing patient, structural, and process variables across 119 hospitals.
Potential Biases
Potential biases may arise from the variability in data collection methods and the interpretation of multimodal strategies.
Limitations
The cross-sectional design limits causal inferences, and some variables may not have been consistently interpreted across hospitals.
Participant Demographics
The study included adult patients from various hospital departments, with a median age of 71 years.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.05
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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