Evaluation of the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on hospital-acquired infections in a tertiary hospital in Malaysia

Ismaeil, Rehab A. and Fata Nahas, Abdul Rahman and Kamarudin, Norhidayah and Usman, Abubakar Abubakar and Mat Nor, Mohd Basri and Nik Mohamed, Mohamad Haniki (2023) Evaluation of the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on hospital-acquired infections in a tertiary hospital in Malaysia. BMC Infectious Diseases, 23. pp. 1-8. ISSN 1471-2334

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Abstract

Background Infection prevention measures are the gold standard for preventing the spread of hospital-acquired infections (HAIs). COVID-19 pandemic caused major disruptions in infection prevention measures, and this has implications on the rate of HAIs. This study assessed the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the rate and the types of HAIs at Sultan Ahmed Shah Hospital. Method This is a retrospective cohort study that compared the rate of HAIs from April to October 2019 (pre COVID period) and April to October 2020 (during COVID period). Data was collected through the review of patients’ electronic medical records. Results There were a total of 578 patients included in the selected wards during the pre- and during the pandemic. Thirty-nine episodes (12.1%) of HAIs were report in the pre COVID period and 29 (11.3%) during COVID-19. In both periods, hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP) was the most frequent HAI among the patients. There was a rise in catheter-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI) (0.8%) and ventilator associated pneumonia (VAP) (1.1%) during the COVID-19 period. The most common bacteria were methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) (28.2%) and Enterococcus faecalis (17.9%) in the Pre COVID-19 period, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (27.6%) and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia (6.9%) during COVID-19. Conclusion Our research concluded that the rates of HAIs during the COVID-19 pandemic were not significantly impacted by the improved in-hospital infection prevention efforts to control the pandemic. There is need for further efforts to promote adherence to preventive practices.

Item Type:	Article (Journal)
Uncontrolled Keywords:	COVID‑19, Hospital acquired infection, Prevalence, Infection prevention and control
Subjects:	R Medicine > RS Pharmacy and materia medica
Kulliyyahs/Centres/Divisions/Institutes (Can select more than one option. Press CONTROL button):	Kulliyyah of Medicine Kulliyyah of Pharmacy > Department of Pharmacy Practice
Depositing User:	Dr. Abdul Rahman Fata Nahas
Date Deposited:	10 Nov 2023 10:07
Last Modified:	21 Nov 2023 15:31
URI:	http://irep.iium.edu.my/id/eprint/108028

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