Hospital-Acquired Infections Essay

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Hospital-acquired infections - describe the microorganisms involved and explain the steps taken to eliminate this hazard Hospital acquired infections are also known as Nosocomial Infections, according to medterms.net this word is derived from Greek origin; The term "nosocomial" comes from two Greek words: "nosus" meaning "disease" + "komeion" meaning "to take care of." Hence, "nosocomial" should apply to any disease contracted by a patient while under medical care. However, "nosocomial" has been whittled down over the years and now just refers to hospitals -- it is now synonymous with hospital-acquired. Nosocomial infections are infections that patients have acquired whilst in hospital or after admittance into hospital having no sign of such infection upon admission. An infection developing 48 hours after a patient has been admitted into hospital will generally be referred to as a hospital acquired infection. There are a number of hospital acquired infections that can affect patients during their stay in hospital and are generally due to microorganisms. Microorganisms may already exist within a patient’s flora; these are referred to as endogenous infections. A common endogenous infection is a UTI (Urinary Tract Infection) which would occur when a catheter is inserted through the urethra to the bladder to empty the bladder. Even though catheters used in hospitals today are packed and sterile this type of infection may be unavoidable on most occasions as microorganisms in or just outside the urethra may enter the bladder via the catheter causing a UTI. Microorganisms often pass between patients through cross-infection this can be through medical instruments such as stethoscopes and sphygmomanometers as well as by means of objects like door handles, as most microorganisms can sit on surfaces and be passed on through touch. Although alcohol is used

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