Study: Rise in healthcare-associated infections during pandemic

Editor's Note

In an analysis published on February 12 by the New England Journal of Medicine, findings indicate that since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, incidents of healthcare-associated infections and other patient safety complications have been on the rise, Becker’s Hospital Review reports.

According to the analysis authors, there are many possible explanations for the increased frequency of adverse events, including the increased number of very ill patients, staff shortages and burnout, and supply chain disruptions.

A study of 148 HCA Healthcare-affiliated hospitals found increases for the following infections over seven months in 2020 amid the pandemic:

• 60% increase in central-line-associated bloodstream infections
• 43% increase in catheter-associated urinary tract infections
• 44% increase in methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus bacteremia.

In September 2021, the CDC published a report that found healthcare-associated infections had “significantly increased in 2020 after years of steady decline.” According to Becker’s, metrics on how patient safety and care quality have been affected during the pandemic have been hard to come by, with “national data often lagging by several quarters to a year.”