THE DEVELOPMENT OF HEALTHCARE-ASSOCIATED INFECTION SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM IN TERTIARY AND HIGHER-LEVEL HOSPITALS

Abstract

This research employed a Research and Development (R&D) design aimed to develop a hospital infection surveillance system in and to evaluate its effectiveness in Rajavithi Hospital. The sample consisted of 174 professional nurses from nine inpatient units, selected using purposive sampling. Participants included infection control nurses (ICN), infection control ward nurses (ICWN), ward head nurses, and staff nurses. Research instruments comprised: 1) A hospital infection surveillance system developed by the researcher; 2) A knowledge test; 3) An assessment of compliance with infection prevention measures; 4) A data quality assessment form; and 5) A satisfaction questionnaire. The instruments were validated by experts, yielding a Content Validity Index (CVI) of 0.97-1.00. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and inferential statistics, including paired t-test, Chi-square test, and Relative Risk analysis, with the level of statistical significance set at .05. The results showed that after system implementation, staff nurses demonstrated a statistically significant increase in knowledge scores (t = 7.04, p < .001), whereas infection control nurses and ward head nurses showed increased scores without statistical significance. The percentage of compliance with Infection Prevention Bundles were increased. Data quality was at a good level, with 100% timely reporting. User satisfaction was at a high level (Mean = 3.83, S.D. = 0.79). The incidence of hospital-acquired infections showed a decreasing trend, particularly ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) in critical care units (RR = 0.44, 95% CI: 0.05 - 4.28). The findings indicate that the developed infection surveillance system is effective and appropriate for implementation in tertiary and higher-level hospitals.