Volume 16 Issue 3
Hospital-Acquired Infections: Prevention and Control
Shankar PS, Gopal R, Shanmugam J, PrachiSaban, Mangaiyarkarasi T, Sunil Shivekar
Abstract
Hospital-acquired infection (HAI) is a bane for modern medical practice across the world. It accounts for prolonged hospital stay and aggressive and expensive treatment, thereby increasing the healthcare expenses. In many developing countries, HAI is predominantly due to antibiotic abuse, antibiotic resistance, overcrowding, and unclean hospital environment due to cost cutting; however, in developed countries, it is due to several interventions, foreign body implants, and antibiotic resistance. The morbidity and mortality rates due to HAI are significant.
Simple hygiene measures such as hand washing, developing antibiotic policies, deploying infection control teams, spacing in the wards, creating proper ventilation, and supplying clean water go a long way in the reduction of this menace. This article dwells into various clinicopathologic aspects of HAI and also explains the management and prevention of HAIs.
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