Healthcare-Associated Infection Causes and Mitigation Strategies: A Systematic Review.

OBJECTIVE

To describe the landscape of healthcare-associated infections (HAI) and, in particular, to pay attention to the types of infection that are usually seen, the most common infectious agents involved and the effective prevention strategies.

METHODS

A detailed search was performed using Google and PubMed, and studies that exclusively addressed healthcare associated infections or their mitigation. Studies published since 2000 were included. Data from individual articles were extracted and categorized by study focus, type of infection, causes and contributing factors, and documented mitigation strategies. Editorials, reviews, case studies, meta-analyses, and systematic reviews were excluded.

RESULTS

The analysis showed that infections related to healthcare, particularly bloodstream infections, infections that occur in intensive care units, and surgical site infections, significantly burden healthcare systems. Bacterial pathogens, including drug-resistant strains, such as Staphylococcus aureus, were identified as the most prominent etiologic agents, as well as several viral pathogens. The findings also underlined the importance of strong surveillance systems and especially systems that take advantage of digital platforms to effectively monitor the trends of infection and antibiotic resistance.

CONCLUSIONS

The review highlighted the serious need for effective monitoring systems, especially those that use digital platforms, to monitor trends of infection and antibiotic resistance. The study highlighted the importance of a multifaceted preventive approach that involves prophylactic and therapeutic measures, as well as strict adherence to the sterile technique in healthcare institutions.