Retrospective single-centre study of healthcare-associated infections in the palliative medicine unit

Introduction
A nosocomial infection is an infection that occurs during a hospital stay (at least 72 hours after admission to the hospital). These are endogenous or exogenous infections. Many patients hospitalised in palliative medicine units (OMP) are treated with antibiotics. The goal of antibiotic therapy is to alleviate symptoms and extend the life of patients. However, infection is not a direct cause of death in patients at the end of life treated at the OMP. Prolonged hospitalisation increases the risk of nosocomial infection. This in turn increases the use of antibiotics. Physicians use broad-spectrum antibiotics. This increases the cost of therapy, favours the development of multidrug-resistant pathogens and may be the basis for claims. The aim of the study was to retrospectively assess the incidence of nosocomial infections, the presence of alarm pathogens, and colonisation with alarm pathogens in one OMP.

Material and methods
The number of cases of carriage of alarm pathogens, nosocomial infections, and the rate of nosocomial infections in the OMP from 1 January 2023 to 31 December 2023 were analysed.

Results
Sixteen nosocomial infections and 14 registration cards for alarm pathogens causing infections upon admission to hospital were analysed. The hospital infection rate for the studied OMP for 2023 was 8.7%.

Conclusions
Thanks to the maintenance of hygienic and epidemiological procedures, the hospital infection rate in the studied OMP was low and was among the leaders in developed countries. Microbiological tests upon admission to the OMP for alarm pathogens allow for the diagnosis of the bacteriological condition and effective isolation/cohorting of patients. OMPs need isolation rooms for carriers of alarm pathogens.