Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Prevalence of HAIs and the Use of Antibiotics in an Italian University Hospital

The COVID-19 pandemic has massively affected healthcare systems globally, causing a possible reduction in attention to traditional infection prevention programs. The objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and the use of antimicrobials in an...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Healthcare (Basel) 2022-08, Vol.10 (9), p.1597
Main Authors: Deiana, Giovanna, Arghittu, Antonella, Gentili, Davide, Dettori, Marco, Palmieri, Alessandra, Masia, Maria Dolores, Azara, Antonio, Castiglia, Paolo
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Antibiotics
Antimicrobial agents
antimicrobial resistance
Coronaviruses
COVID-19
Cross infection
Disease prevention
Disease transmission
Drug resistance
Emergency medical care
Epidemics
healthcare-associated infections
Hospitals
Hospitals, University
infection prevention and control
Infectious diseases
Intensive care
Internal medicine
Long term health care
Microorganisms
Nosocomial infections
Pandemics
Patients
Preventive medicine
Public health
Quality management
Risk factors
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2
Statistics
Surgery
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Summary:The COVID-19 pandemic has massively affected healthcare systems globally, causing a possible reduction in attention to traditional infection prevention programs. The objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and the use of antimicrobials in an Italian University Hospital and to investigate whether the intensification of hospital infection control measures during the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the prevalence of bacterial HAIs. A point prevalence survey was conducted according to the simplified ECDC protocol. The survey identified a local HAI prevalence of 9.0%, revealing an increase compared to pre-pandemic values (7.3%). The survey also identified an antimicrobial exposure of 40.8%, revealing a decrease in their use compared to the study carried out in the pre-pandemic era (44.6%). Among the organizational challenges experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic, despite the greater attention paid to infection prevention measures aimed at reducing SARS-CoV-2, many healthcare facilities had to contend with the controlled availability of personnel, physical space limitations and a large number of patients. Active surveillance in hospital wards and the consequent reporting by personnel specialized in infection control is fundamental for hospitals to recognize gaps in prevention and report any observed increases in HAIs.
ISSN:2227-9032
2227-9032
DOI:10.3390/healthcare10091597