Page 285 - Encyclopedia of Nursing Research

252 n InFeCTIon ConTRoL

nowadays, 5% to 10% of patients admit-
InfectIon control ted to the hospital acquire a HCaI (Smyth
I et al., 2008; World Health organization, 2005).
HCaIs are a major challenge to the health
Infection control addresses the spread of services and to society in general because of
infections within health care settings (from the burden (economic, socioeconomic, mor-
patient to patient, patients to staff, staff to bidity, and mortality) placed on individu-
patients, or among staff), including pre- als, their families, and on the health services
vention (via hand hygiene/hand washing, (Cosgrove, 2006; Kilgore et al., 2008).
cleaning/disinfection/sterilization, vaccina- There is a wealth of evidence that under-
tion, and surveillance), monitoring/investi- pins the critical role that health care workers’
gation of demonstrated or suspected spread hands play in transmitting potentially path-
of infection within a particular health care ogenic microorganisms within the health
setting, and management (interruption of care environment and, in due course, to
outbreaks). acquisition of health care–asso- patients (World Health organization, 2005).
ciated infections (HCaIs) are perceived as a optimal hand hygiene is considered the cor-
significant challenge in terms of the risk to nerstone of preventing HCaIs (Pittet et al.,
patient safety as well as the economic burden 2006). Internationally, health care work-
placed on health services. additionally, there ers’ hand hygiene practices are guided by
is intense media and public interest on infec- evidence-based guidelines published by the
tion control, to the extent that prevention and World Health organization or the Centers
control of HCaIs is now a key focus of global for Disease Control (CDC; Boyce & Pittet,
health care policy. 2002; World Health organization., 2005). In
Controling infection is a problem Ireland, health care workers’ hand hygiene
because hospitals were established to pro- practices follow guidelines published as part
vide care for the sick. Pioneering individuals, of the Strategy for control of antimicrobial
such as Semmelweiss, nightingale, Lister, Resistance in Ireland (2005). The Strategy
and Koch, demonstrated that a direct rela- for control of antimicrobial Resistance in
tionship existed between the rate people Ireland guidelines closely resemble the CDC
acquired infection while in the hospital and guidelines. However, compliance is poor,
infection control practices within hospitals. internationally (akyol, 2007; Dedrick et al.,
advances in medical technology and treat- 2007; Rosenthal, Guzman, & Safdar, 2005)
ment means that more patients are now being and nationally (Creedon, 2005; Creedon
treated in hospitals and many are increas- et al., 2008), despite an enormous amount
ingly vulnerable to infections because of the being written on health care worker’s hand
greater severity of underlying illness, the use hygiene practices (Gould, Chudleigh, Drey, &
of invasive devices, and increased levels of Moralejo, 2007; Pittet et al., 2006).
immunosuppression. Pathogen resistance to The quality of care that patients’ receive
antimicrobial agents and hospital organiza- while being cared for in hospitals is the focus
tional factors, such as high bed occupancy of increased attention. In particular, control
and understaffing, have compounded the of infection is perceived as a fundamental
problem. The risk of acquiring an infection aspect of quality health care and is a cause
is dependant on the relationship between for concern for patients who access the health
microorganisms, patients, health care work- services. Findings from a recent european
ers, and the environment. It is not possible Commission survey (n = 26,663 individuals)
to prevent all HCaIs, but high standards of revealed that 71% of Irish respondents (n =
infection control can mimimize the risk of 976) felt that they are likely to contract a hos-
their occurrence. pital infection if admitted to an Irish hospital.