Epidemiological aspects and prevalence study of nosocomial infections in a general hospital of specialties: retrospective analysis 2012-2017

Eur J Hosp Pharm. 2019 Nov;26(6):339-342. doi: 10.1136/ejhpharm-2018-001577. Epub 2018 Jun 19.

Abstract

Nosocomial infections (NIs) currently represent one of the main health problems for both professionals and health authorities. These continue to cause high mortality, which has led to its study and the development of prevention measures to reduce the impact and minimise the incidence.

Objective: Analysis of the epidemiological aspects of NIs in a tertiary hospital.

Materials and methods: A5-year retrospective study in which NIs verified at admission, their prevalence, associated risk factors and their location were analysed and classified. The data were collected through cross sections for hospitalisation episodes, using standardised forms for them issued by the Spanish Society of Preventive Medicine and Public Health.

Results: 2905 episodes of hospitalised patients were analysed, where 52.94% were men. The NI acquired in the centre was the most prevalent of all registered, having registered in the last year 53 cases. The infections acquired in the study income remained stable throughout the study, although there was a slight decrease in the last two years.

Conclusions: The multidisciplinary nature of the NIs allows to improve their approach, reducing the harmful effects on health.

Keywords: epidemiology; infection control; infectious diseases; nosocomial infectious; public health.