TITLE:
Hospital Acquired Infections in Low and Middle Income Countries: Root Cause Analysis and the Development of Infection Control Practices in Bangladesh
AUTHORS:
S. M. Shahida, Anisul Islam, Bimalangshu R. Dey, Ferdousi Islam, Kartik Venkatesh, Annekathryn Goodman
KEYWORDS:
Hospital Acquired Infections, Nosocomial Infections, Low and Middle Income Countries, Hand Washing, Waste Disposal
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology,
Vol.6 No.1,
January
21,
2016
ABSTRACT: Nosocomial or hospital acquired infections are a major
challenge for low and middle income countries (LMICs) which have limited
healthcare resources. Risk factors include the lack of appropriate hospital
facilities such as isolation units, bed space, and sinks; inadequate waste management,
contaminated equipment, inappropriate use of antibiotics and transmission of
infection from the hands of healthcare workers and family caretakers due to
inadequate hand washing. Nosocomial infections increase the costs of healthcare
due to added antimicrobial treatment and prolonged hospitalization. Since the
prevalence of nosocomial infections is generally higher in developing countries
with limited resources, the socio-economic burden is even more severe in these
countries. This review summarizes the current knowledge on the risks of
hospital acquired infections and summarizes current recommendations for the
development of hospital infrastructure and the institution of protocols to
reduce these infections in LMICs such as Bangladesh.