Good infection prevention practices in three Brazilian hospitals: Implications for patient safety policies

Abstract Objective Healthcare-associated infections (HAI) are a serious patient safety problem. There are effective preventive practices, but little information on adherence in Brazilian hospitals. This study aims at assessing adherence to good HAI prevention practices. Methods A cross-sectional observational study was conducted at 3 different types of hospitals (public-federal, public-state and private) in Rio Grande do Norte state, Brazil. A total of 19 structure and process indicators were measured based on 7 National Quality Forum Patient Safety Practices. Results Overall adherence was low, but higher in the private hospital, followed by the public-federal and public-state institutions. There was adequate maintenance of central venous catheters and high vaccine coverage against the influenza virus among health professionals. However, hand hygiene adherence was low, and surgical antibiotic prophylaxis and prevention of multidrug-resistant bacteria transmission, urinary tract infection by urinary catheter and associated with mechanical ventilation were inadequate. Conclusions Despite the availability of evidence-based recommendations, there is ample room for improvement in adherence to safe practices in the hospitals under study, contributing to the heightened risk of unnecessary harm to patients.