Version 1
: Received: 27 September 2024 / Approved: 27 September 2024 / Online: 27 September 2024 (10:30:30 CEST)
How to cite:
Odoom, A.; Tetteh-Quarcoo, P. B.; Donkor, E. S. Prevalence of Hospital-Acquired Infections in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Preprints2024, 2024092163. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202409.2163.v1
Odoom, A.; Tetteh-Quarcoo, P. B.; Donkor, E. S. Prevalence of Hospital-Acquired Infections in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Preprints 2024, 2024092163. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202409.2163.v1
Odoom, A.; Tetteh-Quarcoo, P. B.; Donkor, E. S. Prevalence of Hospital-Acquired Infections in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Preprints2024, 2024092163. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202409.2163.v1
APA Style
Odoom, A., Tetteh-Quarcoo, P. B., & Donkor, E. S. (2024). Prevalence of Hospital-Acquired Infections in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202409.2163.v1
Chicago/Turabian Style
Odoom, A., Patience Borkor Tetteh-Quarcoo and Eric S. Donkor. 2024 "Prevalence of Hospital-Acquired Infections in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis" Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202409.2163.v1
Abstract
Background/Objectives: The burden of hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) is particularly sub-stantial in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). However, a comprehensive understanding of their prevalence in these regions is lacking. This systematic review aimed to evaluate the prevalence of HAIs in LMICs.
Methods: Major databases, including Scopus, PubMed, and Web of Science, were thoroughly searched for published studies between January 1, 2000, and July 15, 2024. The PRISMA guidelines were followed for a comprehensive and systematic approach. The pooled prevalence of HAIs was estimated using a random-effects model and a 95% confidence interval (CI).
Results: The literature search identified 87 studies reporting HAI prevalence in LMICs. The overall prevalence of HAIs across LMICs was 22% (95% CI: 17-28), with notable regional variations. The South-East Asian Region (SEAR) presented the highest prevalence at 37% (95% CI: 13-62), followed by the African Region at 25% (95% CI: 16-33). The European Region (EUR) had the lowest preva-lence, at 14% (95% CI: 5-23). In terms of income level, low-income countries had the highest prevalence at 37% (95% CI: 23-52), followed by lower-middle income at 22% (15-30) and up-per-middle income at 13% (95% CI: 6-20). Surgical site infections (SSIs) had the highest prevalence among infection types at 27% (95% CI: 23-31), followed by pneumonia at 23% (95% CI: 18-28) and urinary tract infections (UTIs) at 22% (95% CI: 19-26). Gastrointestinal infections (GIs) were less prevalent at 6% (95% CI: 3-9).
Conclusions: This systematic review underscores the high prevalence of HAIs in most LMICs, with variations based on region and income level, emphasizing the need to facilitate the development of targeted prevention and control strategies to mitigate the impact of this critical public health issue, especially in resource-limited settings.
Keywords
Hospital-acquired infections (HAIs); prevalence; low- and middle-income countries (LMICs); hospitalized; meta-analysis
Subject
Public Health and Healthcare, Primary Health Care
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
