Govt Frames Protocol To Help Hospitals Check Infections During Treatment

(MENAFN- Live Mint)

New Delhi: In a significant move to safeguard patients, the government has prepared a new set of guidelines for hospitals to actively fight against healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). These infections, often called hospital-acquired infections, have now become a major public health issue that hurts patient health, and can even lead to death.

The protocol calls for hospitals to be more proactive, transparent, and data-driven in their approach to patient safety. The rules, however, do not state any penalty for non-compliance by hospitals.

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These technical guidelines are in the implementation stage and are being led by the ministry of health and family welfare (MoHFW) under the National Health Mission. These norms were developed in partnership with top organizations, including the Indian Council of Medical Research and the All India Institute of Medical Sciences to ensure they are scientifically sound and viable.

The National Health Systems Resource Centre is providing technical guidance, supporting states with training, and overseeing the development of a national-level online reporting system for healthcare-associated infections.

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For years, doctors and public health experts have been worried about the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), where germs become too strong for antibiotics. This issue has been exacerbated by hospital-acquired infections, and a recent survey by the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) highlights the problem.

The survey found a staggering 72% of patients in 20 major Indian hospitals across 17 states/Union territories were given antibiotics, with 4.6% of them on at least four types of antimicrobials, a clear sign of widespread antibiotic use that could be contributing to antimicrobial resistance.

The guidelines provide a framework for district-level health facilities to track and report hospital associated infections. This effort supports the National Quality Assurance Standards (NQAS) and Kayakalp initiatives by offering a standardized, data-driven approach to infection prevention and control, helping to reduce patient morbidities and combat antimicrobial resistance.

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As part of the plan, for healthcare-associated infection surveillance, district hospitals will use their existing organizational structures, mirroring the framework for improving quality in public healthcare facilities. The implementation will be led by the quality team and the infection prevention and control team of the hospital, respectively.

The hospital quality team will be responsible for ensuring staff training, securing resources for microbiology testing, and reviewing healthcare-associated infection surveillance activities monthly, while the hospital infection prevention and control team, will carry out the day-to-day work, including case finding, data collection, and case determination. The clinical staff in wards and intensive care units should also be familiar with the protocols to assist in identifying and reporting potential cases to the surveillance team.

The guidelines instruct hospitals to establish a surveillance system and appoint a dedicated team, led by a doctor or nurse, to track and report specific types of infections. The most common ones include: surgical site infections (SSI), infections that occur in a part of the body where surgery was performed, bloodstream infections (BSI), urinary tract infections (UTI): often associated with catheters and ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), a serious lung infection that can occur in patients on a ventilator.

“The goal is to move beyond general hygiene checks and instead focus on collecting solid data. Hospitals will need to measure how many infections they have and report this data to a new national database. This will create a clear picture of infection trends across the country and allow hospitals to compare their performance with others," said the official familiar with the matter.

According to the Viatris Connect-a platform that offers information and resources to healthcare professionals-over-crowded hospitals with poor infrastructure, lack of required hygiene, low healthcare professionals-to-patient ratio, inappropriate usage of invasive devices and antibiotics and lack of regulation enforcement contribute to nosocomial, or hospital-acquired infection, related deaths in India.

Dr. Sanchayan Roy, a senior consultant of internal medicine at Delhi's Apollo Spectra Hospital said hospital hygiene is the backbone of patient safety and a powerful shield against hospital-acquired infections. In high-risk environments, where patients are already vulnerable, even small lapses can lead to severe infections.

“Regular surface disinfection, sterilization of instruments, hand hygiene, proper waste management, and clean ventilation systems play a critical role in breaking the chain of infection," Dr. Roy said. "These practices not only reduce infection rates but also build patient trust and reduce healthcare costs. For India's crowded hospitals, strict hygiene compliance is essential to prevent outbreaks, curb antimicrobial resistance, and ensure safer, faster recoveries for patients."

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