A 2022 point-prevalence survey (PPS) in Greek hospitals discovered rising charges of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), excessive resistance to first-line antibiotics, and in depth use of broad-spectrum antibiotics, researchers reported final week in Antimicrobial Resistance and An infection Management.
The cross-sectional research, carried out in 50 of the 126 hospitals of the Greek Nationwide Well being Care system from October by way of December 2022, collected information on HAIs and antibiotic use amongst sufferers admitted earlier than 8:00 am on the day of the survey. In a 2016-2017 PPS carried out by the European Centre for Illness Prevention and Management, Greece was among the many nations with the very best prevalence of HAI (10%) and antibiotic use (55.6%).
Of the 9,707 inpatients included within the research, 1,175 (12.1%) had an HAI and 5,376 (55.4%) had been receiving a minimum of on antibiotic. Decrease respiratory tract (28.9%), bloodstream (20%), and urinary tract infections (13.1%) had been the most typical HAIs. Intensive care unit sufferers had the very best HAI (45.7%) and antibiotic use (71.3%) prevalence. Gram-negative micro organism had been essentially the most frequent supply of HAIs (58.4% of whole isolates), with Klebsiella (20.5%) and Acinetobacter (12.8%) essentially the most ceaselessly recognized. The prevalence of resistance to first-level antibiotic markers was 69.3%.
Intensive use of broad-spectrum antibiotics
Among the many 9,003 antimicrobials recorded, piperacillin-tazobactam (10.9%) and meropenem (7.7%) had been essentially the most ceaselessly prescribed, and the ratio of broad-spectrum to narrow-spectrum antibiotics was 1.4. As outlined by the World Well being Group’s AWaRe (Entry, Watch, and Reserve) classification system, Watch and Reserve antibiotics constituted 76.7% of all antibiotics prescribed. The WHO means that a minimum of 60% of antibiotics consumed on the nationwide degree come from the Entry group.
“The 2022 PPS research highlights the numerous problem that HAIs pose in affected person care in Greece,” the research authors wrote. “It clearly signifies an elevated burden of HAIs along with the emergence of difficult-to-treat pathogens in inpatients, in addition to the in depth use of broad-spectrum antimicrobials.”
The authors say strengthening an infection prevention and management and antimicrobial stewardship in these settings is crucial.
The 2022 PPS research highlights the numerous problem that HAIs pose in affected person care in Greece.
