One of America's Top Ten Criminals Healthcare Acquired Infections (HAIs)
A healthcare-acquired
infection (HAI) is an infection that is contracted while you are in a
healthcare facility, such as an acute care hospital or a skilled nursing care facility.
Even a doctor’s office or clinic can be a source for an HAI. The medical
community calls HAIs nosocomial infections. Infections that develop outside a
healthcare facility are called community-acquired infections.
As with any type of
infection, HAIs can trigger sepsis, particularly in people who are already at
risk, such as those with chronic illnesses (like diabetes), who are
immunocompromised (such as those taking chemotherapy or who don’t have a
spleen), the very young, and the very old.
Sometimes incorrectly called
blood poisoning, sepsis is the body’s often deadly response to infection.
Sepsis kills and disables millions and requires early suspicion and treatment
for survival.
Sepsis and septic shock can
result from an infection anywhere in the body, such as pneumonia, influenza, or
urinary tract infections. Worldwide, one-third of people who develop sepsis
die. Many who do survive are left with life-changing effects, such as
post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), chronic pain and fatigue, organ
dysfunction (organs don’t work properly), and/or amputations.
How do healthcare
acquired infections happen?
Anyone can get an infection,
but as with certain people in the community, many people in hospital
environments have a higher risk of getting an infection because of chronic
illness, age, or other risk factors. And then there are added risks in
hospitals and other healthcare facilities:
Concentrated exposure to
germs: If you are in healthcare facility, you’re in an environment with other
sick people who may have infections that can be spread. You’re also usually
exposed to more people while you’re in a healthcare facility than you might
normally be (workers, volunteers, and visitors, for example), and these people
could unknowingly transfer germs from patient to patient.
Invasive interventions and
devices: If you have had any type of intervention that causes a break in your
skin or introduces a piece of medical equipment inside your body, there’s a new
path that bacteria can follow to cause an infection. The most common
interventions that can cause an infection include.
– Central lines (also called
central venous catheters) – People who are seriously ill may be given a central
line, a special type of intravenous (IV) catheter, so the nurses can effectively
provide antibiotics or other medications and fluids. Usually, central lines are
used in specialized units, such as the intensive care unit (ICU).
The central line is inserted
into a large vein in your groin, chest, or neck. Because these special IVs are
in a large vein, they can stay in place for several weeks or longer,
eliminating the need to keep restarting IVs in the more delicate veins in the
arm. However, a drawback is that these larger veins give more direct access to
the heart, and infections can become very serious very fast.
An infection from a central
line is called a central line-associated bloodstream infection, or CLABSI.
– Urinary tract infections –
Patients in the hospital and in long-term care facilities may have a urinary
catheter – a tube inserted into the urethra, which drains urine from the
bladder. An infection caused by a urinary catheter is called a catheter associated
UTI, or CAUTI. According to statistics, 75% of all UTIs in the hospital are
CAUTIs, and they are the most common type of healthcare-acquired infection
today.
– Surgical site infection –
If you have surgery, your wound is at risk for getting infected. The severity
of the infection can range from a superficial infection in the skin around the
surgical incision, to a much deeper internal infection. Surgical site
infections are called SSIs.
– Ventilator-associated
pneumonia – When people are on a ventilator because they need help breathing,
they are at risk for developing pneumonia, an infection in the lungs. This is called
ventilator-associated pneumonia, or VAP. There are many possible causes for
this type of infection, including exposure of the lungs (from the tube) to
bacteria that may not normally be able to reach the lungs.
– Pressure injuries –
Patients who are confined to bed or spend extended time in a chair or
wheelchair are at risk for developing a pressure injury or sore. Seniors can
also have fragile skin that tears easily. These injuries can become infected as
well.
What types of
infections are HAIs?
Technically, any type of
infection contracted in a healthcare facility is an HAI. However. some types of bacteria are more
common in these types of places than others. These include, among others:
Methicillin-resistant
Staphylococcus aureus, commonly referred to as MRSA.
Clostridium difficile, often
called C. difficile or C. diff.
Vancomycin-resistant
Enterococcus.
Norovirus.
Treating HAIs
Treating HAIs is the same as
treating any other type of infection, with the appropriate antibiotics. But treatment
can be more difficult because of pre-existing conditions and because some of
the bacteria causing these infections are becoming antibiotic resistant.
Preventing HAIs
The focus on healthcare
acquired infections is now on prevention and in most cases, prevention is very
basic: proper hand washing and good environmental hygiene.
All people who enter a
patient’s room or touch a patient must wash their hands before and after, even
if they wear gloves.
Patient rooms, as well as
common rooms and facilities must be properly cleaned on a regular basis.
Medical equipment must be
properly washed and sterilized (when appropriate).
Invasive procedures should
be limited as much as possible and for as short a period as possible.
Healthcare providers must
correctly observe sterile processes when performing procedures, such as
changing wound dressings and inserting urinary catheters.
Patients should have
well-ventilated private rooms as often as possible.
Patients should be monitored
closely for any signs of infection.
How you can reduce
your risk of developing an HAI
Ensure that everyone who
comes into your room, either to provide care or just to visit, washes their
hands.
Wash your own hands
frequently and thoroughly.
Report any signs or symptoms
of an infection, such as increasing redness around a wound, unexpected drainage
from a wound, cloudy or foul-smelling urine, fever, or chills.
Whenever you take an
antibiotic, take it only as prescribed and for the full duration of the
prescription, even if you feel like your infection has gone away.
Don’t use someone else’s
antibiotic to treat what you think might be an infection.
Hospital acquired infections
are criminal because they are totally preventable and cause so much death and
suffering. Next time you get a chance .
. . wash your hands.
Jan Ricks Jennings, MHA,
LFACHE
Senior Consultant
Senior Management
Services, LLC
JanJenningsBlog.Blogspot.com
724.733.0509 Office
412.913.0636 Cell
August, 2021
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