Abstract :
Background: Hospital acquired infections (HAI) are one the biggest challenges that the hospitals face in patient care. The rates are even higher in patients admitted in intensive care units (ICUs). The true burden of HAI in our state of Uttarakhand is still unknown.
Materials and Methods: This study was done to determine the prevalence rate of HAI in the ICUs of a tertiary care teaching hospital in Uttarakhand. A series of two 1- day point prevalence studies was conducted in our hospital in October 2017 and February 2018 in all the ICUs of our hospital. The study comprised of 92 patients admitted for more than 48 h in the ICU. The nurses were trained to collect the data collection form according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention definition of HAIs.
Results: Out of 92 eligible patients in ICU, 25 (27.2%) had acquired HAI. Overall a total of 37 HAIs were identified as few patients had >1 type of HAI. Respiratory tract infection (RTI) had the highest prevalence of 16.3% followed by Bloodstream infections (14.1%). Mechanical ventilation was found to have maximum association with HAI (43.6%). This association was found to be statistically significant (p = 0.002). Acinetobacter was the most common isolate (33%).
Conclusions: The highlight of this study was raising awareness about the current HAI rates in our hospital and reinforcing the importance of correct infection control practices amongst the doctors and nursing staff.
Keyword :
Hospital acquired infections (HAI), Intensive care units (ICUs), Point prevalence study.