NOSOCOMIAL INFECTION

• Two categories of infection

  • Hospital-acquired infection or Nosocomial Infection
  • Community-acquired infection
• Nosocomial infection


  • Those that are acquired within the hospital or other health care facilities
  • All other hospital-associated infections, including those that erupt within 14 days of hospital discharge
• Iatrogenic infections


  • Physician induced infection
  • Results of medical or surgical treatment and are caused by surgeons, physicians or other healthcare personnel
• Community-acquired infections


  • Those that are acquired outside of health care facilities
  • Those that are present or incubating at the time of hospital admission
• Most Common Type of Nosocomial Infection

  • UTI
  • Post surgical wound infection
  • Lower respiratory tract infection
  • Bloodstream infection
  • Gastrointestinal diseases
• Patients most likely to develop Nosocomial Infection

  • Elderly patients
  • Women in labor and delivery
  • Premature and new born
  • Surgical/Burn patients
  • Diabetic/ cancer patients
  • Patients receiving treatment with steroids, anticancer drugs, anti lymphocyte serum and radiation
  • Patients that are paralyze, undergoing renal dialysis and catherization
  • Immunosuppressed patients
• Factors contributing to nosocomial infection

  • An ever increasing number of drug resistant pathogens
  • Failure of health care personnel to follow infection control guidelines
  • An increase number of immuno- compromised patients
• Other Factors contributing to nosocomial infection

  • Overcrowding of hospital
  • Shortages of staff
  • Lengthy, more complicated types of surgery
  • Increase use of less-highly trained health care workers
• Steps to prevent anti microbial resistance among hospitalized adults

  1. Prevent infection

  2. Diagnose and treat infection effectively

  3. Use antimicrobials wisely

  4. Prevent transmission
• Infection Control


  • Pertains to the numerous measures that are taken to prevent infection from occurring in healthcare settings
  • These preventive measures include actions taken to eliminate or contain reservoirs of infection, interrupt the transmission of pathogens and protect persons (patients, employees, and visitors) from becoming infected
• Two types of Asepsis

  • Medical Asepsis (clean technique)
  • Surgical Asepsis (surgical technique)
• Medical Asepsis


  • Procedures and technique that reduce the number and transmission of pathogens
  • Includes all precautionary measures necessary to prevent direct transfer of pathogens through the air, or on instruments, bedding, and other inanimate object
  • Includes frequent hand washing, personal grooming, proper cleaning of supplies, disinfection, proper disposal of needles, contaminated materials, and infectious waste and sterilization
  • Goal: exclude pathogens
• Surgical Asepsis


  • Includes practices used to render and keep objects and area sterile
  • Practice in operating room, labor and delivery areas certain areas in the health laboratory and patients bedside
  • Includes scrubbing of hands and fingernails before entering the operating room using sterile gloves, masks, gowns, and shoe cover; using sterile solutions and dressings, using sterile drapers, and creating a sterile field and using heat sterilized surgical instruments
  • Goal: exclude all microorganism