What are the causes and symptoms of hospital-acquired infections?
All hospitalized patients are susceptible to contracting a nosocomial infection. Some patients are at greater risk than others—young children, the elderly, and persons with compromised immune systems are more likely to get an infection. Other risk factors for getting a hospital-acquired infection are a long hospital stay, the use of indwelling catheters, failure of healthcare workers to wash their hands, and overuse of antibiotics. Any type of invasive procedure can expose a patient to the possibility of infection. Common causes of hospital-acquired infections include: • urinary bladder catheterization • respiratory procedures • surgery and wounds • intravenous (IV) procedures Urinary tract infection (UTI) is the most common type of hospital-acquired infection. Most hospital-acquired UTIs happen after urinary catheterization. Catheterization is the placement of a catheter through the urethra into the urinary bladder. This procedure is done to empty urine from the bladder, relieve press
