Prevalence of Nosocomial Infections During the COVID-۱۹ Pandemic: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Context: Although the current literature suggests the significant impact of the COVID-۱۹ pandemic on nosocomial infections, evidence is still scarce in this regard. Objectives: The present study aimed to systematically review the current literature to estimate the prevalence of hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) and their determinants during the COVID-۱۹ pandemic. Methods: A comprehensive search was conducted via electronic databases such as EMBASE, Google Scholar, Scopus, PubMed, and Web of Science from the onset of the COVID-۱۹ pandemic until the end of June ۲۰۲۱. To estimate the pooled prevalence of nosocomial infections, the random effects model was used. Results: The prevalence of HAIs during the COVID-۱۹ pandemic was estimated at ۱۵% (۹۵% CI: ۹ - ۲۴). COVID-۱۹ infection accounted for the highest infection rate in patients with HAIs (۶۳%; ۹۵% CI: ۴۳ - ۷۵), followed by bloodstream infections (۳۹%; ۹۵% CI: ۵۶ - ۲۴). Among the common organisms that infected patients with HAIs, coronavirus had the highest rate (۶۳%; ۹۵% CI: ۴۳ - ۷۵), followed by Enterococci and Enterococcus, respectively. In addition, positive significant correlations were observed between the prevalence of nosocomial infections, age, and length of hospital stay (P < ۰.۰۵). Conclusions: According to the results, nosocomial infections are an important consequence of the COVID-۱۹ pandemic, particularly in the elderly and high-risk populations with prolonged hospital stay. Therefore, the early detection of infected individuals could be a key step toward improving the quality of response to the current pandemic.

Keywords:

COVID-۱۹ , Nosocomial Infection , Global , Systematic Review , Meta-analysis