Point Prevalence Surveys of Hospital-Associated Infections in Chaiyaphum Hospital, 2022

Abstract

Point prevalence survey is a proven and well-established surveillance method to prevent and control hospital-associated infections (HAIs). The objectives of this survey at Chaiyaphum Hospital in Chaiyaphum Province, Thailand were to survey the prevalence of HAIs and assess the surveillance performance. The HAI assessment tool was a point prevalence survey form used by Chaiyaphum Hospital. The records of patients admitted to 32 wards at Chaiyaphum Hospital were examined. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics.

Results showed there were 559 patient records that were eligible for inclusion in the survey, among which 16 HAIs were identified (2.9%). The three categories of patients with the highest prevalence rates of HAIs were ICU patients (7.4%), internal medicine (4.3%), and psychiatric patients (4.3%). The most common infections were catheter-associated urinary tract infections (43.6%), ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) (25%), hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP) (12.5%), and blood stream infection. The most common pathogens that caused infections were Acinetobacter baumannii (MDR) (30%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRE-MDR) (25%) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (20%). The most common antimicrobial agents used to treat infections were meropenem (28.5%), cephalosporins (19%) and sulperazone (14.3%). The surveillance performance in this survey was 68.7%. The results of this survey identified key areas for improvement of infection prevention and control at Chaiyaphum Hospital, particularly related to device-associated healthcare-associated infections. The low surveillance efficiency also reflected the need to improve the competency of the wards’ infection control nurses.