Book Review

A Guide to Tackle HAI

Book: Hospital Acquired Infections: Power Strategies for Clinical Practice
Authors: V Muralidhar and Sumathi Muralidhar
Publisher: VIVA Books Pvt Ltd
Price: Rs 1,295
No Of Pages: 426

Reviewed by Dr Deepthi Nair

A hospital provides a unique environment for the transmission of infections. Combating Hospital Acquired Infections or HAI, is thus a challenging task, demanding a fruitful partnership between clinical care providers and the organisational systems.

Increasing awareness amongst patients, stringent requirements for accreditation, demand for quality healthcare by the insurance companies and increasing litigation have made it imperative for individuals functioning at various levels in the healthcare set-up, to adopt a proactive approach to the management of HAI. Healthcare workers are constantly under pressure to devise ways and means of reducing the incidence of HAI.

I launched my career by reading a textbook by Glen and Mayhall, which is considered to be a bible in HAI. Very few books have matched that book in vastness and content - this book attempts in a comprehensive way to give a clinician’s picture of HAI along a similar albeit a brief, easier to assimilate version.

Due emphasis is given to managerial, epidemiological, microbiological and clinical strategies in equal measure. I found that the greatest strength of this book is the group of core chapters, which have been unique in their approach to the clinical practice of prevention of nosocomial infections. Once the basic processes are understood, one can fine-tune them to their institutions and personalised needs. The chapters have several references, and most have tables and boxes summarising key features.

Appropriate photographs are given in different sections to facilitate the process of understanding. The art-work, pictures and designing of the book is vibrant and the cover sign of ‘thumbs up’ conveys a very positive attitude. This detailed text is suitable for the office of every hospital epidemiologist, infection control director, microbiologist, administrator and clinician. It is also an easily accessible book for students and medical residents.

The book helps in designing of tasks, purchase of equipment and sterilants, designing hospital areas, building teams, selection of barrier methods, epidemiological strategies etc. It aids in understanding important processes and consequences of their improper implementation, like disinfection, sterilisation, hospital waste management, antimicrobial resistance, healthcare worker safety etc.

It also helps in identifying problems related to special situations like blood transfusion, solid organ transplantation and implants and set standards, benchmarks and quality indicators in surveillance, audit and facilitate the development of an environment-friendly and responsible organisation.

The writer is a Microbiologist, Vardhaman Mahavir Medical College & Safdarjang Hospital, New Delhi