Paper
Saturday, November 3, 2007
47
Comparing the Risk for Developing Nosocomial Infections during the SARS and Pre-SARS Periods in a Canadian Hospital Setting
Susan M. Fox-Wasylyshyn, RN, PhD, Maher M. El-Masri, RN, PhD, and Margaret (Peggy) Oldfield, MSc, BA, RN. Faculty of Nursing, University of Windsor, Windsor, ON, Canada
| Learning Objective #1: Highlight the impact of increased adherence to infection control practices on the risk for developing nosocomial infections |
| Learning Objective #2: Highlight the impact of the SARS outbbreak on adherence to infection control practices |
Background: Proper hand hygiene and adherence to standard precautions are the simplest and most cost-effective approach to prevent nosocomial infections. However, compliance with recommended hand-washing practices remains unacceptably low, and ranges from 10 to 60%. The SARS outbreak prompted unprecedented adherence to infection control practices in Canada, providing a rare opportunity to examine the impact of such adherence on the risk for developing nosocomial infections.
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to the risk for developing nosocomial infections between the SARS and pre-SARS periods.
Methods: A retrospective chart review was conducted on a sample of 200 randomly selected ICU patients in southwestern Ontario. Patients who qualified for the study were admitted to the ICU three months before SARS (controls), or during the SARS outbreak (cases). All study participants were deemed to be infection-free at the time of admission.
Results: Logistic regression analysis suggested that the odds of developing infection were 5 times higher in the pre-SARS period than during the SARS outbreak (OR, 5.13, P = .025). Blood transfusion (OR = 2.05, P = .024) and mechanical ventilation (OR = 11.8, P = .004) were also independent predictors of nosocomial infections.
Conclusion: The findings imply that strict adherence to infection control practices that occurred during the SARS outbreak in Canada contributed to a significant reduction in the risk for developing nosocomial infections.