Nosocomial infections refer to infections that are acquired in hospitals or other healthcare facilities. These infections are not present or developing before a patient enters the healthcare facility, but are acquired during their stay.
Full definition
Additional research is needed to determine the frequency
of nosocomial infections in private veterinary practice as this data does not exist at this time.
Although the veterinarian is responsible for the diagnosis and treatment plan, veterinary technicians assist with diagnosis and care and can help prevent
nosocomial infections in the clinic, thus reducing the potential need for antimicrobials.
Today's Technician: Assisting the Surgeon — Practical Strategies for Preventing Nosocomial Infections
Due to lack of uniform reporting and surveillance,
veterinary nosocomial infection rates are unknown, though it has been found to be a common problem encountered in veterinary teaching hospitals.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 1.7 million patients acquire an infection while hospitalized each year, and 99,000 die —
making nosocomial infections the sixth leading cause of death in the United States.
She concludes: «Consider that the WHO emphasises that the single intervention that can significantly
lower nosocomial infections is very simple: washing hands.»
Personnel operating dental equipment should wear masks, eye protection, and gloves or other protective equipment to
prevent nosocomial infection.
And with an estimated 1 in 10 hospital patients acquiring
a nosocomial infection (an infection caused by a hospital stay), it might not be as safe as it sounds.
Nosocomial infections are those infections acquired within the hospital.
It has proven successful in improving survival rates of premature and low birth weight newborns and in lowering the risks of
nosocomial infection, severe illness, and lower respiratory tract disease (Conde - Agudelo, Diaz - Rossello, & Belizan, 2003).
Moreover,
nosocomial infections, otherwise known as hospital - acquired infections, have become a growing problem worldwide and South Korea is no exception, scientists say.
However, it is more likely that incremental change, such as applying quality improvement practices to outcomes other than
nosocomial infection, will lead to improved outcomes.»
In the largest study of its kind, researchers from Columbia University collaborated with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to undertake a nationwide survey of 1,534 ICUs at 975 hospitals as part of the larger Prevention of
Nosocomial Infections and Cost Effectiveness Refined (P - NICER) study.
«Yet, I have doubts on its actual efficacy for
the nosocomial infections,» she says, «In a hospital, the transfer of bacteria may occur because of the hands of the staff, for not properly sterilized medical devices, or for infection of chirurgical sites during the operations.»
The use of antimicrobial drugs is associated with: • Changes in the normal bacterial flora • Development of resistance • Clostridium difficile infections • Adverse effects and interactions •
Nosocomial Infections • Costs
Due to lack of uniform reporting and surveillance, veterinary
nosocomial infection rates are unknown, though it has been found to be a common problem encountered in veterinary teaching hospitals.3 Additional research is needed to determine the frequency of nosocomial infections in private veterinary practice as this data does not exist at this time.
The prevention of
nosocomial infections and zoonotic diseases, and the delicate subject of euthanasia is all part of this very educational stage.