Healthcare associated infections

Anyone can get a HAI, however, some people are more vulnerable such as:

• the very young and very old
• people with underlying medical conditions e.g. diabetes
• people who smoke
• people with weakened immune system e.g. those receiving chemotherapy
• people having dialysis, who are in an intensive care unit or have had transplants
• people who have long hospital stays.

Other reasons people may get a HAI may be due to:

• the type of procedures performed e.g. surgeries that take several hours to perform are associated with a higher risk of infection
• the presence of invasive devices e.g. urinary catheters or intravenous catheters.

Many HAIs can be prevented. Your healthcare providers use aa range of infection prevention strategies to reduce your risk of getting a HAI. These include:

• performing hand hygiene using alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water
• maintaining a clean environment and clean shared equipment
• using sterilised and/or single use medical equipment
• administering antibiotics prior to certain types of surgery
• using antiseptic body washes prior to surgical procedures
• isolating (placing in a single room) people if they have an infectious illness
• healthcare providers may wear personal protective equipment such as gloves, gowns or aprons, masks and eyewear.

Hospitals in Western Australia perform surveillance (externa site) on certain HAIs to monitor and identify what can be done to improve clinical practice to reduce the risk of HAIs. acquisition. The use of HAI surveillance information is an important initiative to improve patient safety.

Hand hygiene is a very important action to prevent HAIs, as both patients and healthcare workers can pick up micro-organisms on their hands and transfer them to other patients or equipment or environmental surfaces - performing hand hygiene will prevent this.

Hand hygiene is as simple as applying an alcohol-based handrub to your hands or washing your hands with soap and water. This needs to be done frequently and thoroughly to reduce the risk of spreading micro-organisms.

There are a number of things you can do to reduce your risk of infection include:

• everyone, including you and your visitors, need to perform hand hygiene before entering or leaving your room and after using the toilet
• do not be afraid to ask your healthcare provider if they have cleaned their hands
• stop smoking before any surgery and while receiving treatment as smoking increases the risk of infection
• ensure you follow the advice of your healthcare provider about any measures you need to take prior to coming to hospital e.g. showering with an antiseptic solution before having surgery
• inform your healthcare provider if  have had an infection or are taking antibiotics
• follow instructions given to you by healthcare provider about caring for your wounds and any invasive medical devices you may have e.g. a drip or catheter
• equipment let your healthcare provider know as soon as possible if:
  • any dressings become loose or wet
  • you notice any redness or swelling or increased pain at a wound site
  • any intravenous catheters, tubes or drains inserted in your body become painful, red or swollen
  • your room or equipment has not been cleaned properly
• visitors should not visit you if they are unwell, have a cold, have been vomiting or had diarrhoea.