Hospital Acquired Infections (HAI): A term relating to an infection that is acquired during the delivery of health care (also known as “nosocomial infection”).

Nosocomial infections take various forms, MRSA, and C Difficile have become of even greater concern as they have developed superbugs, capable of resisting standard treatment.

MRSA

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus — is a common bacteria  often found on the skin and in the noses of healthy people. It can cause infection if it gets into the body through a cut or during surgery, or other forms of contact. MRSA is most frequently transmitted to other patients through human hands, which have been contaminated with MRSA by contact with infected or colonized patients. It has become resistant to certain types of antibiotics, and causes extreme pain and long lasting physical scars and damage to people infected. The easiest way to prevent transmission is through hand washing with soap and water or using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

C. Difficile

C. Difficile bacteria grow in the large bowel. The bacteria produce two toxins that cause diarrhea and damage the cells lining the bowel. In severe cases, C. Difficile can cause critical illness and death in elderly or very sick patients. According to the federal Agency for Healthcare Improvement’s Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project the number of C. diff. infections more than doubled between 2001 and 2005 to 301,200 patients.

Other forms of HAIs.

• Ventilator associated pneumonia

• Urinary tract infection

• Hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP)

• Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococcus

Where do HAIs hit?

Long term care facilities and acute care facilities are particularly at risk because of the high number of patients, the level of fragility of patients. Furthermore, given the great number of contact points and behaviors that occur between health care workers and patients, lax hygiene practices can cause serious outbreaks in relatively short amount of time.  The CDC also conducted a recent study of  U.S. States, looking at the virulent strain of C. Diff. click here to see the results map.

Who is more vulnerable?

No one is immune to HAIs. Everyone walking into a health care facility is vulnerable. Some factors however, such as age, and level of sickness accentuate the vulnerability of patients. The elderly and the sickest, with weaker immune systems are especially at risk. Categories of individuals   more at risk are people who have:

          ● other health conditions making them sick

          ● been in the hospital or a nursing home

          ● been treated with antibiotics.

What can be done?

While hand washing and overall hygiene precautions have been identified as the primary elements leading to the spread of nosocomial infections, why is compliance so low? Why are compliance programs not able to deliver the substantial and long term improvements for such important behaviors?

We look to use mobile technology to improve observations and inspections, in order to create a large and accurate information base. IC professionals will then be able to identify proprieties, focus on real issues, and improve communication channels with relevant disciplines and management. This, in order to ultimately reduce infection rates by improving compliance.