scholarly journals Nosocomial infections in neonatal intensive care units: Cost-effective control strategies in resource-limited countries

2013 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 125-132
Author(s):  
SN Uwaezuoke ◽  
HA Obu
Keyword(s):  
Intensive Care Unit ◽  
Intensive Care ◽  
Hand Hygiene ◽  
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit ◽  
Nosocomial Infections ◽  
Neonatal Intensive Care ◽  
Control Strategies ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Effective Control ◽  
Resource Limited

Background: Nosocomial infections or hospital-acquired infectionsconstitute a global health problem. They lead to significant morbidity and mortality in both developed and resource-limited countries. The neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) is a suitable environment for disseminating these infections; underscoring the need for preventive intervention measures.Objectives: This review aims to highlight the global burden of nosocomialinfections in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs), to discuss their epidemiology and clinical spectrum, as well as the costeffective control strategies in resource-limited settings.Sources: Sources of information were from Google searches andPubMed- linked articles using the key words- nosocomial infections,neonatal intensive care unit, control. Related articles from hard copiesof medical literature and journals were also gathered.Results: Although paucity of data exists on the incidence of nosocomialinfections in NICUs in developing countries, reports from developedcountries indicate a range of 6% to 25%. Much higher figures were noted in some developing countries. Several risk factors for nosocomial infections were identified but varied in different NICUs surveyed. Effective control strategies have been recommended but hand washing or hand hygiene appears universally applicable in both developed and resource-limitedcountries. Economic analyses of these strategies in developed countrieshave established their costeffectiveness while the adaptability of hand hygiene program to resource-limited settings has been demonstrated in a World Health Organization pilot study in sub- Saharan Africa.Conclusion: Hand washing or hand hygiene by health-care personnelremains the most important evidence-based and cost-effective controlstrategy for the spread of nosocomial infections in NICUs in resource-limited countries.Key words: nosocomial infections; neonatal intensive care unit;control.

Handwashing Program for the Prevention of Nosocomial Infections in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

2004 ◽  
Vol 25 (9) ◽  
pp. 742-746 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sau-Pin Won ◽  
Hung-Chieh Chou ◽  
Wu-Shiun Hsieh ◽  
Chien-Yi Chen ◽  
Shio-Min Huang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Intensive Care Unit ◽  
Intensive Care ◽  
Hand Hygiene ◽  
Nosocomial Infection ◽  
Respiratory Tract ◽  
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit ◽  
Nosocomial Infections ◽  
Neonatal Intensive Care ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Tract Infections

AbstractObjective:To evaluate the effects of a hand hygiene program on compliance with hand hygiene and the rate of nosocomial infections in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).Design:Open trial.Setting:A level-III NICU in a teaching hospital.Participants:Nurses, physicians, and other healthcare workers in the NICU.Interventions:A multimodal campaign for hand hygiene promotion was conducted beginning in September 1998. This program consisted of formal lectures, written instructions and posted reminders regarding hand hygiene and proper handwashing techniques, covert observation, financial incentives, and regular group feedback on compliance. Surveillance of handwashing compliance and nosocomial infections before and during the program was analyzed.Results:Overall compliance with hand hygiene improved from 43% at baseline to 80% during the promotion program. The rate of nosocomial infections decreased from 15.13 to 10.69 per 1,000 patient-days (P = .003) with improved handwashing compliance. In particular, respiratory tract infections decreased from 3.35 to 1.06 per 1,000 patient-days during the handwashing campaign (P = .002). Furthermore, the correlation between nosocomial infection of the respiratory tract and handwashing compliance also reached statistical significance (r = -0.385; P = .014).Conclusions:Improved compliance with handwashing was associated with a significant decrease in overall rates of nosocomial infection and respiratory infections in particular. Washing hands is a simple, economical, and effective method for preventing nosocomial infections in the NICU

Epidemiology of Methicillin-SusceptibleStaphylococcus Aureusin the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

2002 ◽  
Vol 23 (11) ◽  
pp. 677-682 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip L. Graham ◽  
Anne-Sophie Morel ◽  
Juyan Zhou ◽  
Fann Wu ◽  
Phyllis Della-Latta ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Intensive Care Unit ◽  
Intensive Care ◽  
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit ◽  
Neonatal Intensive Care ◽  
Control Strategies ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Multidrug Resistant ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Endemic Infections

Objective:When the incidence of methicillin-susceptibleStaphylococcus aureus(MSSA) infection or colonization increased in our neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), we sought to further our understanding of the relationship among colonization with MSSA, endemic infection, and clonal spread.Design:A retrospective cohort study was used to determine risk factors for acquisition of a predominant clone of MSSA (clone “B”).Setting:A 45-bed, university-affiliated, level III-IV NICU.Patients:Infants hospitalized in the NICU from October 1999 to September 2000.Interventions:Infection control strategies included surveillance cultures of infants, cohorting infected or colonized infants, contact precautions, universal glove use, mupirocin treatment of the anterior nares of all infants in the NICU, and a hexachlorophene bath for infants weighing 1,500 g or more.Results:During the 1-year study period, three periods of increased incidence of MSSA colonization or infection, ranging from 6.4 to 13.5 cases per 1,000 patient-days per month, were observed. Molecular typing using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis demonstrated two predominant clones, clone “B” and clone “G,” corresponding to two periods of increased incidence. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that length of stay (OR, 1.035; 95% confidence interval [CI95], 1.008 to 1.062;P= .010) (increased risk per day) and the use of H2-blockers (OR, 20.44; CI95, 2.48 to 168.26;P= .005) were risk factors for either colonization or infection with clone “B,” and that the use of peripheral catheters was protective (OR, 0.06; CI95, 0.01 to 0.43;P= .005).Conclusions:Control of MSSA represents unique challenges as colonization is expected, endemic infections are tolerated, and surveillance efforts generally focus on multidrug-resistant pathogens. Future studies should address cost-effective surveillance strategies for endemic infections.

scholarly journals Too Expensive to Treat? Non-Treatment Decisions at the Margins of Viability

2018 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 461-481
Author(s):  
Tatiana Flessas ◽  
Emily Jackson
Keyword(s):  
Intensive Care Unit ◽  
Intensive Care ◽  
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit ◽  
Premature Infant ◽  
Neonatal Intensive Care ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Treatment Decisions ◽  
Educational Needs ◽  
The State ◽  
Premature Babies

Abstract This article seeks to challenge the assumption that it is legitimate to consider the costs of premature babies’ future social and educational needs when deciding what treatment, if any, to provide in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) . It questions the elision that is made between the claim that a particular treatment is insufficiently cost-effective and the claim that a person will be a burden on the state in the future. It discusses a series of common misunderstandings about how treatment decisions are taken in the NICU and concludes by suggesting that the claim that premature babies are too expensive to treat may depend upon regarding a premature infant as if she were not yet a person, with rights and interests of her own.

Addressing Hand Hygiene Compliance in a Low-Resource Neonatal Intensive Care Unit: a Quality Improvement Project

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 408-413 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arunava Biswas ◽  
Sangeeta Das Bhattacharya ◽  
Arun Kumarendu Singh ◽  
Mallika Saha
Keyword(s):  
Intensive Care Unit ◽  
Intensive Care ◽  
Hand Hygiene ◽  
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit ◽  
Conceptual Framework ◽  
Neonatal Intensive Care ◽  
Hand Hygiene Compliance ◽  
Hand Washing ◽  
Root Cause ◽  
Hygiene Compliance

Abstract Objective Our goal for this study was to quantify healthcare provider compliance with hand hygiene protocols and develop a conceptual framework for increasing hand hygiene compliance in a low-resource neonatal intensive care unit. Materials and Methods We developed a 3-phase intervention that involved departmental discussion, audit, and follow-up action. A 4-month unobtrusive audit during night and day shifts was performed. The audit results were presented, and a conceptual framework of barriers to and solutions for increasing hand hygiene compliance was developed collectively. Results A total of 1308 hand hygiene opportunities were observed. Among 1227 planned patient contacts, hand-washing events (707 [58.6%]), hand rub events (442 [36%]), and missed hand hygiene (78 [6.4%]) events were observed. The missed hand hygiene rate was 20% during resuscitation. Missed hand hygiene opportunities occurred 3.2 times (95% confidence interval, 1.9–5.3 times) more often during resuscitation procedures than during planned contact and 6.14 times (95% confidence interval, 2.36–16.01 times) more often when providers moved between patients. Structural and process determinants of hand hygiene noncompliance were identified through a root-cause analysis in which all members of the neonatal intensive care unit team participated. The mean hand-washing duration was 40 seconds. In 83% of cases, drying hands after washing was neglected. Hand recontamination after hand-washing was seen in 77% of the cases. Washing up to elbow level was observed in 27% of hand-wash events. After departmental review of the study results, hand rubs were placed at each bassinet to address these missed opportunities. Conclusions Hand hygiene was suboptimal during resuscitation procedures and between patient contacts. We developed a conceptual framework for improving hand hygiene through a root-cause analysis.

scholarly journals Profile of newborns discharged from the intensive neonatal care unit submitted to the kangaroo ward

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 685
Author(s):  
Karla Camila Lima de Souza ◽  
ANNY Caroline Ferreira de Carvalho ◽  
Natália Maria Chagas Evangelista ◽  
Magnely Moura do Nascimento ◽  
Andrea Stopiglia Guedes Braide ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Intensive Care Unit ◽  
Intensive Care ◽  
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit ◽  
Gestational Age ◽  
Apgar Score ◽  
Neonatal Intensive Care ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Kangaroo Care ◽  
Microsoft Excel ◽  
Neonatal Care Unit

Background: Describe the profile of newborns discharged from the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) sent to a kangaroo ward and their neonatal variables.Methods: Retrospective and documentary study with a quantitative approach, performed at the General Hospital César Cals, whose sample consisted of 30 charts. The following variables were analyzed: weight, gestational age, Apgar score, gender, race, adequacy of the pregnancy and assistance provided in the NICU and kangaroo ward. The variables were analyzed using Microsoft Excel® 2010 program to obtain percentages.Results: There was a prevalence of extremely premature infants with high underweight and small size for the gestational age, male gender and browns, with Apgar score at 1st and 5th minutes more than 7, born by cesarean section, who used mechanical ventilation and surfactant, with prevalence of respiratory distress syndrome, with admission weight in Kangaroo ward less than 1.250g, making use of exclusive breast milk, who were attended by physiotherapy and with weight less than 1.600g at discharge, of the variables studied.Conclusions: Kangaroo care is an excellent cost-effective model for the newborn coming from the neonatal intensive care unit.

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