Regional patient transfer patterns matter for the spread of hospital-acquired pathogens.

ABSTRACT: Pathogens typically responsible for hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) constitute a major threat to healthcare systems worldwide. They spread via hospital (or hospital-community) networks by readmissions or patient transfers. Therefore, knowledge of these networks is essential to develop and test strategies to mitigate and control the HAI spread. Until now, no methods for comparing healthcare networks across different systems were proposed. Based on healthcare insurance data from four German federal states (Bavaria, Lower Saxony, Saxony and Thuringia), we constructed hospital networks and compared them in a systematic approach regarding population, hospital characteristics, and patient transfer patterns. Direct patient transfers between hospitals had only a limited impact on HAI spread. W

SUBMITTER: Xia H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10776674 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature