Incidence of Nosocomial Infections Amongst Patients Admitted in Wards at a Tertiary Care Teaching Hospital

Abstract

Background: A hospital-acquired infection (HAI), also known as a nosocomial infection, is an infection that is acquired in a hospital or other health care facility. This study was done to evaluate the prevalence of nosocomial infections (NI) among the patients admitted in the ward in a medical hospital. Methods: The total study participants were 190 including 102 males and 88 females. Complete history of patients was taken along with the clinical examination. All the study subjects were examined daily to assess the treatment and to detect any new infection. Patient's body temperature was also monitored regularly. All the routine investigations such as complete blood picture, blood sugar level, urine analysis and chest radiograph were also done. Data so obtained was evaluated using SPSS-20 and was expressed as percentage and variables as required. Results: The percentage of subjects with nosocomial infection was 20%. Significant differences of NI were found with age, gender, socioeconomic status, educational level, and duration of stay in hospital. The urinary tract infection (UTI) was seen among most of the cases. Acinetobacter (32.5%) was the most commonly seen organism which followed Pseudomonousaeruginosa (25.2%) as the causative factors. Conclusion: The study revealed incidence rate of nosocomial infectionas 20%. Hospital administration should maintain proper measures regarding infection control procedures.