Case Study Of Nosocomial Infection

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

A nosocomial, or hospital acquired, infection is a new infection that develops in a patient during hospitalization. They are among the major causes of death and increased morbidity among hospitalized patient.

Nosocomial infections occurs worldwide and affect both developed and resource-poor countries.

According to Plowman .R. (2000) nosocomial infection also called "hospital acquired infection" can be define as an infection acquired in hospital by a patient who was admitted for a reason other than that infection. Nosocomial infection is also an infection occurring in a patient in a hospital or other health care facility in whom the infection was not present or incubating at the time of admission.

At anytime, over 1.4 million people worldwide suffer from infectious complications acquired in hospital. The highest frequencies of nosocomial infections were reported from hospitals in the Eastern Mediterranean and South-East Asia Regions (11.8 and 10.0%) respectively in the Western pacific regions. In the United States, the centers for disease control and prevention estimated that roughly 1.7 million hospital associated infections, from all types of bacteria combined, cause or contribute to 99,000 deaths each year.

Reports from the National Nosocomial infection Surveillance (NNIS) system have revealed that the urinary tract, the respiratory tract, blood stream, and wounds are the most common nosocomial infection sites. The microorganism that cause nosocomial infections can originate from the client themselves (an endogenous source) or from the hospital environment and hospital personnel (exogenous sources). Most nosocomial infections appear to have endogenous sources. Escherichia coli, staphylococcus aureus and enterococci are the common infecting

What are the predisposing factors to nosocomial infection?

4. What are the preventive precautions of nosocomial infection?

THE SCOPE OF THE STUDY

The study will involve student nurses and staff nurses in different unit of Bishop Shanahan Hospital Nsukka. This units include, female medical and surgical ward, male medical and surgical ward, children 's ward, labor ward, theatre, antenatal clinic, post-natal ward, and laboratory and outpatient department.

LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

The constraints that were witnessed on the course of carrying out the study were financial constraint and limited time. Financial constraint faced by the researcher made her not to reach all the areas of the study. The time for this research was also so limited, this made it difficult for an extensive research to be carried out.

OPERATIOINAL DEFINITION OF TERM

Etiology: The science of the cause of disease

Nosocomial: Pertaining to, or acquired in hospital.

Infection: Invasion and multiplication of micro-organisms in body tissues, especially that causing local cellular injury due to competitive metabolism, toxins, intracellular replication or antigen-antibody response.

Patient: A person who is ill or is undergoing treatment for a health care