Hospital Acquired Infections
6.15 Know how an understanding of the contributory causes of hospital acquired infections have led to
codes of practice regarding antibiotic prescription and hospital practice that relate to infection
prevention and control.
Hospital Acquired Infections
• Hospital acquired infections (HAI) are infections that are caught while a patient is being treated in
hospital.
• HAIs are transmitted by poor hygiene, e.g.:
o Hospital staff or visitors not washing their hands before/after visiting a patient.
o Coughs/sneezes not being contaminated.
o Equipment and surfaces not being disinfected after they’re used.
• People are more likely to catch infections in hospitals because many patients are ill, so have
weakened immune systems, and they’re around other ill people.
Codes of Practice to Control HAIs
1. Hospital staff and visitors are encouraged to wash their hands before/after visiting a patient.
2. Equipment and surfaces should be disinfected after they’re used.
3. People with HAIs should be moved to an isolation ward, so they’re less likely to transmit the
infection to other patients.
Antibiotics Resistance
• Some HAIs are caused by bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics.
• These HAIs are difficult to treat because antibiotics do not remove the infection. They can lead to
serious health problems or even death.
• Infections caused by antibiotic resistant bacteria are more common in hospitals because more
antibiotics are used there, so bacteria in hospitals are more likely to have evolved resistance to them.
Codes of Practice to Control HAIs caused by Antibiotics Resistance
1. Doctors should not prescribe antibiotics for minor bacterial or viral infections.
2. Doctors should not prescribe antibiotics to prevent infections.
3. Doctors should use narrow-spectrum antibiotics (which only affect a specific bacterium) if possible.
4. Doctors should rotate the use of different antibiotics.
5. Patients should take all of the antibiotics that they’re prescribed so infections are fully cleared.
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