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Volume 14
Issue 6
10.3390/antibiotics14060573
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Article

Surveillance of Healthcare-Associated Infections in Long-Term Care Facilities in Graz, Austria, from 2018 to 2022

by
Elisabeth König
1,
Miriam Meister
1,
Christian Pux
2,
Michael Uhlmann
2,
Walter Schippinger
2,
Herwig Friedl
3,
Robert Krause
1 and
Ines Zollner-Schwetz
1,*
1
Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Medical University of Graz, 8036 Graz, Austria
2
Geriatric Health Centers of the City of Graz, 8020 Graz, Austria
3
Institute of Statistics, Graz University of Technology, 8010 Graz, Austria
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Antibiotics 2025, 14(6), 573; https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics14060573
Submission received: 27 March 2025 / Revised: 16 May 2025 / Accepted: 26 May 2025 / Published: 3 June 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs): Prevention, Control and Surveillance)
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Abstract

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate changes in the rate and spectrum of healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs) and to analyse the rate and spectrum of antimicrobial prescriptions in four long-term care facilities (LTCFs) in Graz, Austria, from 2018 to 2022 in a prospective cohort study. Methods: Nursing staff prospectively collected data on HCAIs and antimicrobial prescriptions once a week. Log-linear Poisson models for counts were applied mostly to evaluate the difference effects of the various calendar years compared to the reference year of 2018. Results: A total of 1684 infections were recorded in 720 residents during the study period. The overall annual incidence rate of HCAIs varied over time with a significant increase to 2.86/1000 resident days in 2019 and to 4.09/1000 resident days in 2022, both compared to 2018, p < 0.001. A large peak in respiratory tract infections (RTIs) occurred in winter 2021/2022 due to a large number of SARS-CoV-2 infections in all four LTCFs. Urinary tract infections (UTIs) were the most commonly recorded infections. Beta-lactams were the most frequently prescribed systemic anti-infectives. A statistically significant increase in the rate of beta-lactam prescriptions/1000 resident days occurred between 2018 and 2022 (p = 0.016), whereas a statistically significant decrease in quinolone prescriptions/1000 resident days occurred in the same time period (p < 0.001). Conclusions: The incidence rates of HCAIs varied over time with a significant increase during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2022 compared to 2018. Continued surveillance efforts are necessary to assess the effect of infection control efforts after the pandemic.
Keywords: nursing home; surveillance; elderly; nosocomial infections nursing home; surveillance; elderly; nosocomial infections

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MDPI and ACS Style

König, E.; Meister, M.; Pux, C.; Uhlmann, M.; Schippinger, W.; Friedl, H.; Krause, R.; Zollner-Schwetz, I. Surveillance of Healthcare-Associated Infections in Long-Term Care Facilities in Graz, Austria, from 2018 to 2022. Antibiotics 2025, 14, 573. https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics14060573

AMA Style

König E, Meister M, Pux C, Uhlmann M, Schippinger W, Friedl H, Krause R, Zollner-Schwetz I. Surveillance of Healthcare-Associated Infections in Long-Term Care Facilities in Graz, Austria, from 2018 to 2022. Antibiotics. 2025; 14(6):573. https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics14060573

Chicago/Turabian Style

König, Elisabeth, Miriam Meister, Christian Pux, Michael Uhlmann, Walter Schippinger, Herwig Friedl, Robert Krause, and Ines Zollner-Schwetz. 2025. "Surveillance of Healthcare-Associated Infections in Long-Term Care Facilities in Graz, Austria, from 2018 to 2022" Antibiotics 14, no. 6: 573. https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics14060573

APA Style

König, E., Meister, M., Pux, C., Uhlmann, M., Schippinger, W., Friedl, H., Krause, R., & Zollner-Schwetz, I. (2025). Surveillance of Healthcare-Associated Infections in Long-Term Care Facilities in Graz, Austria, from 2018 to 2022. Antibiotics, 14(6), 573. https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics14060573

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