RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) are not present on admission but are contracted while a patient is undergoing hospital treatment. While the prevalence of HAIs, and their causes and treatments have been researched in various contexts to date, patients' perspectives of contracting and living with the consequences of an HAI remain under-researched. OBJECTIVE: To explore patients' experiences of having an HAI. METHODS: A qualitative phenomenological study that drew on data from semi-structured interviews was conducted in order to explore the lived experiences of patients who had recently contracted an HAI while in hospital. Participants were recruited from two Australian hospitals in 2019 and 2021. Telephone interviews were conducted with 10 participants by two research team members, and transcripts from these interviews were analysed qualitatively using a thematic coding process to identify the patients' perspectives of contracting an HAI. RESULTS: The participants had a range of different HAIs. The participants described how the experience of having an HAI can be very isolating and distressing from the patient's perspective, with life-long implications. This contributes to understanding of the way in which patients are impacted emotionally and mentally as a result of contracting an HAI. CONCLUSION: There is a need for improved, person-centred communication about the source, treatment and prognosis of HAIs. The findings from this study indicate the importance of considering patients' voices in their own health care.
Asunto(s)
Infección Hospitalaria , Australia/epidemiología , Comunicación , Infección Hospitalaria/epidemiología , Atención a la Salud , Hospitales , Humanos , Investigación CualitativaRESUMEN
PIP: Western society has undergone a vast sociological change during the 20th century in terms of the value of sexuality. Sexual choice has gained a new legitimacy never before experienced. There is less guilt surrounding issues of sexuality and it is now common place to hear and see explicit discussions about sex in the mass media. This acceptance has undoubtedly encouraged many people to be more daring and promiscuous in their sexual activities. Proof of this can be seen in the increase is the incidence of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Presently there are more than 20 epidemiologically significant diseases that are sexually transmitted. Beyond the 5 old standards of gonorrhea, syphilis, chancroid, lyphogranuloma venereum, and granuloma inguinala STDs now include: chlamydia trachomatis, genital herpes, human papillomavirus, human immunodeficiency virus, genital mycoplasms, cytomegalovirus, hepatitis, vaginitis, enteric infections, and ectoparasitic diseases. Keeping all this in mind, the question of the ethics of safe sex must be addressed. In many countries, the governments have undertaken large public education programs to encourage safe sex practices. All these programs a founded upon two ideas: that safe sex should be promoted free of any ethical discussions or considerations, and that technology alone, the condom, will protect the public from the problem of STDs. However these campaigns will fail to protect the public unless they try to intervene at some level other than the mechanical aspect of the sex act itself. Condoms have failure rates too high to be relied upon as the sole means of protecting the public. Sex education for children and an inclusion of the ethical aspects of sex, now that the consequences can mean death, must be included in these government programs if they are to be successful.^ieng