Hospital-Acquired Infections Can Cause Emotional Pain

Patients feel shame, fear, and uncertainty when healthcare providers don't provide them with adequate education about HAIs.  

Healthcare-associated infections can affect patients in ways beyond physical health, finds a new study. Dealing with HAIs can also lead to problems with social relationships and cause healthcare providers to distance themselves from patients, according to the study published in the American Journal of Infection Control.

Researchers at Glasgow Caledonian University in Scotland looked at 17 studies from five different countries that examined five different HAIs, with a focus on patient experiences of colonization and infection from bacteria that commonly cause HAIs.

Healthcare providers should look at the social circumstances that affect patient experiences, including feeling shameful and dirty, and the responses of those around the patients.

Related: 3 Ways to Knock C. Diff Rates Down to Zero

The study found that many patients who were diagnosed with HAIs described feeling dirty, “having the plague,” or “feeling like a leper.” Patients reported a fear of transmitting their infection to others, which affected their personal and workplace relationships. Patients who were able to speak to an infection preventionist reported receiving valuable information and getting reassurance about their condition; those who didn’t talk to an IP said they felt dismissed by staff members.

The report also found that concerns about interacting with a healthcare provider or restriction to healthcare treatment were prominent with patients who had infections caused by resistant organisms such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

Many patients with HAIs reported changing personal hygiene behavior, including precautions to prevent infection transmission such as extensive cleaning at home and advising family members on hygiene measures.

Another finding was that patients reported interactions with healthcare providers led to fear and uncertainty, especially when the providers lacked knowledge of the causes and consequences of HAIs and couldn’t provide adequate information to the patient.