Abstract

Objective

To evaluate the infection control surveillance system at Sughd Multidisciplinary Hospital and provide recommendations for its improvement.
 

Materials and Methods

 In February-March 2024, we conducted an evaluation of the infection control surveillance system. The surveillance system was assessed across the following attributes: simplicity, flexibility, acceptability, timeliness, and sensitivity. The evaluation included interviews with 40 healthcare workers from the day shift, a review of hospital infection control policies and medical records, and observations of infection control practices in surgical, pediatric otorhinolaryngology, pulmonology, and other hospital departments.
 

Results

The evaluation demonstrated that the infection control surveillance system is important and useful for the timely detection, reporting, and response to healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). The system covers data collection, analysis, response activities, and feedback, while standardized reporting forms contribute to its simplicity. Each HAI case is required to be reported to the Center for State Sanitary and Epidemiological Surveillance (CSSES), the Regional Health Department, and the Ministry of Health and Social Protection of the Population of the Republic of Tajikistan. However, the hospital lacked a formal infection control plan and a dedicated budget for infection control activities. Among surveyed healthcare workers, 56% (N=22) complied with infection prevention and control (IPC) practices, 73% considered the notification forms easy to complete, and 50% correctly identified the HAI case definition. The average time from symptom onset to diagnosis was 72 hours, from case detection to notification 8 hours, and from notification to response 48 hours. Of the 13 HAI cases identified during the study period, only 4 were detected by the surveillance system, resulting in a sensitivity of 31%.
 

Conclusion

 The surveillance system in the study hospital requires improvement due to limited flexibility, low sensitivity, and the absence of a systematic approach, including weak coordination, inadequate compliance, and insufficient staff training. The implementation of digital tools, workforce training, and optimization of staff workload could enhance the effectiveness of the surveillance system.
 

Keywords

surveillance system infection control healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) healthcare personnel hospital Tajikistan.

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