According to surveillance data, which type of hospital-acquired infection (HAI) constitutes the highest perce… - NHM MP Staff Nurse - 2015

NHM MP Staff Nurse - 2015

Applied Microbiology & Infection control

Easy

Appeared in: NHM MP Staff Nurse - 2015

Explanation

Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs) are the most common type of nosocomial (hospital-acquired) infection.
Approximately 80% of hospital-acquired UTIs are associated with the use of an indwelling bladder catheter, defining them as CAUTI.
While other HAIs like VAP and CLABSI have high severity or are common in specific units (like the ICU), CAUTI has the highest overall prevalence across the entire hospital.
The most common causative agents are bacteria from the patient's own gut flora, with Escherichia coli being the primary pathogen.

Option A: Surgical Site Infections (SSIs) are a frequent and serious complication, but their overall incidence rate is lower than that of CAUTIs when considering the entire hospital population.
Option B: Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia (VAP) is a severe infection with high mortality, but it is restricted to patients on mechanical ventilation, primarily in ICUs. This limits its overall prevalence compared to CAUTI.
Option D: Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infections (CLABSIs) are a major cause of morbidity and mortality, but they are less frequent in the overall hospital population than CAUTIs.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: Knowing Epidemiology of Hospital-Acquired Infections (HAIs) helps nurses interpret findings accurately and avoid errors in routine assessment, medication administration, and patient teaching.
Nurses play the most critical role in HAI prevention through strict adherence to infection control bundles for catheters, central lines, ventilators, and surgical site care.
The core of CAUTI prevention is minimizing catheter use and duration. Nurses must advocate for catheter removal daily.
What if? If a patient needs close urinary output monitoring but is at high risk for CAUTI, the nurse should champion alternatives such as a bladder scanner for post-void residual checks, external catheters for male patients, or a strict schedule of intermittent catheterization.

How to Approach the Question

First, identify the core question, which asks for the HAI with the 'highest percentage' or highest overall prevalence.
This is a factual recall question based on epidemiology. You need to know the relative frequency of the four main types of HAIs.
Consider the patient populations for each infection: VAP is limited to ventilated patients, SSI to surgical patients, and CLABSI to those with central lines. CAUTI, however, can occur in a wide range of patients across many hospital units.
Recall that urinary catheterization is one of the most common invasive procedures in hospitals, making infections related to it the most numerous.
Based on this reasoning, select the option representing catheter-related UTIs as the most prevalent.

Concept Tested & Keywords

Concept Tested: Epidemiology of Hospital-Acquired Infections (HAIs)
Stem keywords: hospital-acquired infection, HAI, highest percentage, surveillance data
Lead-in keywords: which type