Nosocomial Infections: What’s the Big Deal? Nursing

Nosocomial infection (infection acquired after 48 hours of hospitalization, or within 2 weeks of a previous hospitalization) is becoming a problem of global significance. In human hospitals, prevention of nosocomial infection has become paramount, and the emergence of multiple drug resistant (MDR) bacteria has made prevention even more difficult. According to the World Health Organization report on Infectious Diseases; in the United States alone, 14,000 people die each year as a result of multiple drug resistant organisms acquired during hospital stays. This same report emphasizes that the hospital setting is ideal for the development of MDR bacteria due to increased antibiotic use, crowding, and immunocompromised patients. The spread of MDR organisms from the hospital setting to the community has also been identified, as bacteria can transmit resistance genes easily through a population. While MDR bacteria are most commonly selected for in hospitals, they can rapidly become subclinical infections in the healthy population.