Surveillance of nosocomial infections in a long-term care facility : IIncidence and risk factors [Surveillance nosokomialer Infektionen in einem Altenpflegeheim : Inzidenz und Risikofaktoren]

In Germany, surveillance of nosocomial infections is obligatory by law in hospitals, but not in long-term care facilities. In long-term care facilities, neither X-ray nor laboratory facilities are available; therefore, special criteria for infection surveillance in these facilities were developed by Mc Geer et al. (1991), based only on observations of the medical staff and foregoing laboratory methods. The practicability of these criteria was assessed in a long-term care facility with an electronic medical documentation system. In a retirement home in Frankfurt/Main, Germany, the residents' symptoms according to McGeer et al. were recorded from January, 1 to June 31, 2006. The study included 278 residents, 45,710 resident days, including 4413 "urinary catheter days" und 6009 "gastric tube days". Based on the symptoms documented in the electronic medical documentation system, the respective diagnoses were obtained. Data on gastrointestinal, bronchial, urinary, and eye infections are reported here, including number of cases as well as incidences per 1000 resident days. The overall incidence rate was 5.07/1000 resident days, including 1.9 gastrointestinal infections, 0.95 bronchitis/pneumonia, and 0.44 urinary infections. Incidence of urinary infections in residents with an indwelling urinary catheter was 2.26/1000 catheter days compared to 0.242/1000 days for those without a catheter. Urinary catheter, however, was not only a risk factor for urinary infections (OR 9.4, 95CI 3.4-25.8) but also for bronchial infections (OR 3.0, 95CI 1.3-6.8), and eye infections (OR 1.6, 95CI 0.4-5.8). Gastric tubes were associated with bronchial infections (OR 3.7; CI 1.7-7.9), eye infections (OR 5.4, CI 1.9-15.2), and urinary infections (OR 2.7, 95CI 0.9-8.2). Urinary or fecal incontinence were not associated with any infections, and age (>80 years) was negatively associated with urinary infections (OR 0.35, significant) and bronchial infections (OR 0.51, significant). Compared with published studies, the incidence rates were comparable. The practicability of the criteria of McGeer et al. could be confirmed - with only slight modification - in a long-term care facility with electronic medical documentation. © 2009 Springer Medizin Verlag.