Real‐time surveillance systems: Applicability for the control of influenza in acute care

Abstract

Background:The high morbidity and mortality caused by influenza viruses translate into a great impact on specialized health care. Apart from the annual vaccination, the relevance of other measures to prevent and control this infection is unknown. The objective of our research was to determine the importance of a real-time surveillance system to establish early extended transmission precautions. Methods: Quasi-experimental before-and-after study comparing the influenza cases detected in hospitalized adults during the 2016/2017 season (264 patients) with those detected after the implementation of a real-time surveillance system in the 2017/2018 season (519 patients). The improvements included early microbiological diagnosis, immediate communication of results, constant updating of patient information, coordination among professionals, periodic surveillance of the adequacy of preventive measures, and greater control of roommates. The effectiveness of the intervention was determined from the nosocomial infection rate in each season.Results: After the real-time surveillance system for influenza was implemented, patients with early microbiological diagnosis and immediate isolation increased significantly (13.7% vs 68.2%; P < .001). In addition, nosocomial infections decreased from 17% to 9.2% (P = .001) and overall hospital stay was significantly reduced. Assuming that the entire effect was due to the intervention, the absolute risk reduction was 7.8% and number needed to treat was 12.8. Conclusion:The results in our study reveal the impact of nosocomial transmission of influenza virus in a tertiary hospital and highlight the need to supplement traditional strategies with novel methodologies such as modern surveillance systems based on early diagnosis, close case monitoring, and coordination among professionals. K E Y W O R D Scross-infection, influenza, microbiology, preventive medicine, vaccination

Epidemiological and clinical characteristics of community‐acquired and nosocomial influenza cases and risk factors associated with complications: A four season analysis of all adult patients admitted in a tertiary hospital

“…A recently published study showed a reduction in nosocomial infection and length of hospital stay after the application of a real-time surveillance system. 14 This study therefore aimed to compare the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of patients who required hospital admission and diagnosed with community-acquired influenza (CAI) and HAI or nosocomial. Additionally, we aimed to determine risk factors associated with complications and analyze whether nosocomial infection is also a risk factor for the development of complications.…”

Multi-agent system collision model to predict the transmission of seasonal influenza in Tokyo from 2014–2015 to 2018–2019 seasons

“…Therefore, we determined that the transmission declines during the holidays, but further investigation is needed to confirm the actual reduction in the reproduction number. Using a real-time surveillance data might serve to answer this question [ 32 , 33 ].…”

New insights and antimicrobial stewardship opportunities in viral pneumonia: five lung ultrasound cases

“…Furthermore, undetected viral infection and thus, the failure to isolate patients, can lead to outbreaks in healthcare systems with significant morbidity, mortality, and costs [17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30]. This is also true for the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic [56].…”

“…Antibiotics should be limited to the treatment of infections caused by bacteria in community-acquired [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8] and nosocomial infections [9,10], and thus, to lower the risk of bacterial resistance [11][12][13][14], e.g., by antimicrobial stewardship (ABS) [15]. In acute respiratory infections, however, it can be difficult to distinguish between bacterial and viral causes [16], which is also relevant in nosocomial infections [17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30]. Antibiotic therapy in the absence of bacterial infection may worsen the outcome in viral infections [31].…”