Assessment of infection prevention and control management in obstetrics departments in secondary and tertiary hospitals : A cross-sectional study from Guiyang city, China, 2023.

Abstract

Background: Coinfection in pregnancy can lead to serious adverse consequences for maternal and neonatal health. How to timely and effectively control the occurrence of Healthcare-associated Infections (HAI) during maternal hospitalization is one of the critical challenges facing obstetrics department. To evaluate the current status of infection prevention and control management in obstetrics departments in secondary and tertiary medical institutions in Guiyang City. The findings will serve as a basis future improvement.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Guiyang city, Guizhou Province, China, from July to December 2023. The Guiyang Nosocomial Infection Control and Quality Improvement Center collaborated with 33 medical institutions to collect online survey data. The survey contained five sections, including information about the participating hospitals, basic information on the obstetric department, surveillance of HAIs, the building environment and equipment, and cleaning and disinfection.

Results: Out of the 33 hospitals invited to participate, 28 (85.00% response rate) accepted and completed the online survey. There were significant differences in the type and educational backgrounds of infection preventionists between tertiary care and secondary care hospitals (P < 0.001). No other variables showed significant differences.

Conclusion: The configuration of full-time Infection Preventionists (IPs) in both tertiary and secondary hospitals in Guiyang City, Guizhou Province, is insufficient, with the situation being particularly severe in secondary hospitals. Additionally, in terms of personnel configuration, secondary hospitals have a high proportion of nursing professionals and lack highly educated talent. Therefore, it is recommended that secondary medical institutions should staff sufficient, professional, and well-structured IPs. Furthermore, secondary hospitals should actively establish a nosocomial infection monitoring system and enhance their information monitoring capabilities. Moreover, establishing LDR (labor, delivery, and recovery) rooms with a focus on comfort can help improve the experience of maternal care, but its role in preventing hospital infections requires further research.