Pillars for prevention and control of healthcare-associated infections: an Italian expert opinion statement

Abstract

Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) represent a relevant problem for all healthcare facilities, because they involve both the care aspect and the economic management of the hospital. Most HAIs are preventable through effective Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) measures. Implementation and improvement of IPC programs are critical to reducing the impact of these infections and the spread of multi-resistant microorganisms. The purpose of this Expert Opinion statement was to provide a practical guide for healthcare organizations, physicians, and nursing staff on the optimal implementation of the core components of Infection Prevention and Control, as recommended by a board of specialists after in-depth discussion of the available evidence in this field. According to their independent suggestions and clinical experiences, as well as evidence-based practices and literature review, this document provides a practical bundle of organizational, structural, and professional requirements necessary to promote, through multimodal strategies, the improvement of the quality and safety of care with respect to infectious risk in order to protect the patient, facilities, and healthcare providers.

Identifying a competency improvement strategy for infection prevention and control professionals: A rapid systematic review and cluster analysis

“…Of the 46 studies included in the analysis, 14 were carried out in the United States [12–25], 11 in China [26–36], four in each of the United Kingdom [27, 37–39] and Switzerland [6, 7, 40, 41], three in Italy [42–44], two in South Africa [45, 46] and one in each of Germany [8], Saudi Arabia [47], Finland [48], the Netherlands [49], Australia [50], Ghana [51], Pakistan [52], and Singapore [53]. There were 20 cross‐sectional studies [8, 15–17, 24, 25, 31, 32, 34–37, 39–41, 49–52, 54], 15 qualitative studies [6, 7, 13, 14, 19, 21, 23, 26, 28, 29, 38, 42, 45, 46, 48], eight before–after studies [12, 20, 22, 27, 30, 33, 47, 53], two retrospective studies [18, 44] and one prospective observational study [43] (Table 2).…”

A Case of Ralstonia pickettii Bloodstream Infection and the Growing Problem of Healthcare Associated Infections in Frail Older Adults

“…In recent years, our hospital, the Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, has made great efforts and conducted several campaigns to fight HAIs. 19 ) Nevertheless, much work remains to be done, and no one can let their guard down, as overlooking the risk of infection in hospitalized patients means exposing them to a potentially fatal threat. In this scenario, the need for more sustainable healthcare and the pivotal role of geriatricians is increasing.…”

Pattern of antibiotic resistance in surgical site infections in a tertiary care hospital of Nepal

“…Health-care associated infections (HAI) are infections acquired by patients in hospital or healthcare service centers and are the most common cause of morbidity in patients over the world [1] . Surgical site infections (SSI) are the second most common cause of HAI after urinary tract infection [2] . The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines SSI as any infection at or near surgical site occurring within 30 days of any surgical procedure (laparoscopic or open) or within 90 days of surgical procedure requiring prosthesis or implants [3] .…”