Background: Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) contribute to prolonged hospital stays and increased costs, along with elevated morbidity and mortality rates. The 2017 European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) point prevalence survey (PPS) reported a 5.9% HAI prevalence in European acute care hospitals, with Belgium showing a higher rate at 7.3%. In 2022, the ECDC PPS was repeated in Belgian acute care hospitals.
Methods: Data collection was performed from September to November 2022, following the ECDC protocol (version 6.0) at hospital/ward/patient level. All patients present in the surveyed wards at 8 a.m. on the PPS day and not discharged at that time, were included. Modifications from the 2017 protocol included the incorporation of infection definitions and microorganism codes for COVID-19, along with the inclusion of HAIs associated to long-term care facilities.
Findings: In total, 56 acute care hospital sites (35 mergers, of which 25 primary, 7 secondary and 3 tertiary hospitals, countrywide participation 33.9%) participated, encompassing 10,142 patients. Overall, 9.2% (95%CI: 8.7-9.8) of patients had at least one HAI. Predominant infections included pneumonia and lower respiratory tract infections (32.8%, including COVID-19 infections at 8.5%), surgical site infections (13.6%), urinary tract infections (18.5%), followed by bloodstream infections and gastro-intestinal infections (12.2% and 9.0%, respectively). A positive microbiological result was reported for 65.6% of HAIs (N = 675/1029), with Escherichia coli (16.8%), Staphylococcus aureus (10.8%), and Klebsiella spp. (10.2%) being the most common isolates. SARS-CoV-2 accounted for 7.9% of isolated microorganisms.
Conclusion: This PPS provided valuable insight on the prevalence of HAIs and associated factors. The increased prevalence of HAIs revealed in 2022 highlights the need for continuous improvement in infection prevention and control measures.
