Nosocomial Infections in a Tertiary Healthcare Center in Lebanon: Optimization of Safety Protocols

Objective: The Saint George Hospital – University Medical Center (SGH-UMC)– in Ashrafieh, Lebanon – aims at achieving excellence in medical services by empowering the Infection Control and Prevention Department (ICPD) to maintain a healthy environment and ensure the safety of patients and medical personnel equally. In association with the University of Balamand, two interventions were employed to attempt at further ameliorating the ICPD and the patient safety. Interventions: The first intervention constitutes of a cost-benefit analysis to evaluate the possibility of substituting the use of reusable gowns with disposable ones and the second is a questionnaire allowing the evaluation of the physician satisfaction with the ICPD at SGH-UMC. Results: The cost-benefit analysis suggested that the use of reusable gowns was more cost effective than the use of disposable gowns even after taking into consideration the attributable cost of nosocomial infections. The physician’s satisfaction questionnaire highlighted the physician’s various perceptions regarding the ICPD and the infection control and prevention in the hospital and recommended some corrective actions to overcome the obstacles faced. Conclusion: The process of quality improvement requires the employment of several quality tools, identifying the problems and attempting to solve them; therefore, development and distinction can only be attained after a process of self-evaluation, troubleshooting and corrective actions.