Healthcare-associated infections in Singapore’s long-term acute care hospitals: results from the first national point prevalence survey

Abstract Background: While healthcare-associated infection (HAI) surveillance in Singapore’s acute care hospitals is well established, comparable data from long-term acute care hospitals (LTACHs), known as community hospitals, are limited. We conducted the first national point prevalence survey (PPS) to determine HAI prevalence in Singapore LTACHs.

Methods

A standardized protocol adapted from the Singapore acute care hospital HAI PPS protocol, which was adapted from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control protocol for acute care hospitals, was implemented across 9 LTACHs. Adult inpatients present in participating wards at 8 a.m. on the survey day were included. Data on patient characteristics, invasive devices, and active infections were collected from electronic medical records. Factors associated with HAIs were determined using multivariate logistic regression.