The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on nosocomial infections: a retrospective analysis in a tertiary maternal and child healthcare hospital.

OBJECTIVE

The constant changes in the control strategies of the Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic have greatly affected the prevention and control of nosocomial infections (NIs). This study assessed the impact of these control strategies on the surveillance of NIs in a regional maternity hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS

This retrospective study compared the observation indicators of nosocomial infections and their changing trends in the hospital before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

RESULTS

In total, 2,56,092 patients were admitted to the hospital during the study. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the main drug-resistant bacteria in hospitals were , and Enterococcus . The detection rate of increased annually, while that of remained the same. The detection rate of multidrug-resistant bacteria decreased during the pandemic (16.86 vs. 11.42%), especially that of CRKP (carbapenem-resistant 13.14 vs. 4.39, < 0.001). The incidence of nosocomial infections in the pediatric surgery department decreased significantly (OR: 2.031, 95% CI: 1.405-2.934, < 0.001). Regarding the source of infection, a significant reduction was observed in respiratory infections, followed by gastrointestinal infections. In the routine monitoring of the ICU, the incidence of central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) decreased significantly (9.4/1,000 catheter days vs. 2.2/1,000 catheter days, < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

The incidence of nosocomial infections was lower than that before the COVID-19 pandemic. The prevention and control measures for the COVID-19 pandemic have reduced the number of nosocomial infections, especially respiratory, gastrointestinal, and catheter-related infections.