Effectiveness of Patient Education on Nosocomial Infections: A Systematic Review

This systematic review evaluates the effectiveness of patient educationinterventions in reducing the incidence of nosocomial infections (NIs) inhealthcare settings. A total of 23 studies were included in the review, with mixedresults. Of the studies, 10 reported a statistically significant reduction in theincidence of NIs as a result of patient education, while 13 reported no significantdifference in the incidence of NIs between the intervention and control groups.The studies that found a significant reduction in the incidence of NIs used a varietyof patient education interventions, including education on hand hygiene, isolationprecautions, and general infection prevention measures. The studies that did notfind a significant reduction in the incidence of NIs used interventions such aseducation on hand hygiene alone, without additional infection preventionmeasures. The results suggest that patient education may be effective in reducingthe incidence of NIs, but the effectiveness may depend on various factors. Futurestudies should use standardized interventions and outcome measures to facilitatecomparisons between studies, and evaluate the cost-effectiveness of patienteducation interventions.