Nosocomial Infections
Section 1: Infections in Healthcare Settings Essay.
Nosocomial infections, hospital acquired infections, are an on-going concern to healthcare professionals. These infections are one of the major causes of death in hospitalised patients and are a significant burden on not only the patient’s and the public’s health (as organisms causing nosocomial infections can be transmitted to the community through discharged patients, staff and visitors) but also the economy. A nosocomial infection is an infection acquired at least 72 hours after being admitted into hospital for any reason other than the infection or one which develops amongst hospital staff. Infections are also identified as nosocomial if they appear in a patient within 30 days after their discharge from hospital. Non nosocomial infections, community acquired infections, are infections acquired anywhere other than the hospital. The most common places where non nosocomial infections occur are schools, day care centres and sports facilities. They are spread through skin to skin contact, cuts and grazes, overcrowding and poor hygiene. The illnesses or infections can be the same, for example, pneumonia or gastroenteritis but it is the setting that they are contracted in which differentiate the two infections. Nosocomial infections occur worldwide and affect both wealthy, developed countries as well as the poorer ones with scarce resources. A survey conducted by the World Health Organisation in 55 hospitals across Europe, the Eastern Mediterranean, South East Asia and the Western Pacific shows an average of 8.7% of hospital patients have a nosocomial infection. At any one time, over 1.4million people have a hospital acquired infection. According to a report published by The National Audit Office in the United Kingdom, there are at least 100,000 hospital acquired infections per year at a cost to the NHS of hundreds of millions of pounds. The result of acquiring an infection could be an extended stay in hospital,
Nosocomial infections, hospital acquired infections, are an on-going concern to healthcare professionals. These infections are one of the major causes of death in hospitalised patients and are a significant burden on not only the patient’s and the public’s health (as organisms causing nosocomial infections can be transmitted to the community through discharged patients, staff and visitors) but also the economy. A nosocomial infection is an infection acquired at least 72 hours after being admitted into hospital for any reason other than the infection or one which develops amongst hospital staff. Infections are also identified as nosocomial if they appear in a patient within 30 days after their discharge from hospital. Non nosocomial infections, community acquired infections, are infections acquired anywhere other than the hospital. The most common places where non nosocomial infections occur are schools, day care centres and sports facilities. They are spread through skin to skin contact, cuts and grazes, overcrowding and poor hygiene. The illnesses or infections can be the same, for example, pneumonia or gastroenteritis but it is the setting that they are contracted in which differentiate the two infections. Nosocomial infections occur worldwide and affect both wealthy, developed countries as well as the poorer ones with scarce resources. A survey conducted by the World Health Organisation in 55 hospitals across Europe, the Eastern Mediterranean, South East Asia and the Western Pacific shows an average of 8.7% of hospital patients have a nosocomial infection. At any one time, over 1.4million people have a hospital acquired infection. According to a report published by The National Audit Office in the United Kingdom, there are at least 100,000 hospital acquired infections per year at a cost to the NHS of hundreds of millions of pounds. The result of acquiring an infection could be an extended stay in hospital,
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