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Disruption of Services in an Internal Medicine Unit Due to a Nosocomial Influenza Outbreak

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2015

Catherine Sartor ,
Christine Zandotti ,
Fanny Romain ,
Véronique Jacomo ,
Sophie Simon ,
Catherine Atlan-Gepner ,
Roland Sambuc ,
Bernard Vialettes  and
Michel Drancourt
Catherine Sartor
Affiliation:
Comité de Lutte contre les Infections, Assistance Publique, Hôpitaux de Marseille, Marseille, France
Christine Zandotti
Affiliation:
Laboratoire de Virologie, Hôpital de la Timone, Assistance Publique, Hôpitaux de Marseille, Marseille, France
Fanny Romain
Affiliation:
Département d'Information Médicale, Hôpital de la Conception, Assistance Publique, Hôpitaux de Marseille, Marseille, France
Véronique Jacomo
Affiliation:
Laboratoire de Bactériologie, Hygiène et Epidémiologie Hospitalières, Assistance Publique, Hôpitaux de Marseille, Marseille, France
Sophie Simon
Affiliation:
Laboratoire de Virologie, Hôpital de la Timone, Assistance Publique, Hôpitaux de Marseille, Marseille, France
Catherine Atlan-Gepner
Affiliation:
Service de Médecine Interne, Hôpital Sainte Marguerite, Assistance Publique, Hôpitaux de Marseille, Marseille, France
Roland Sambuc
Affiliation:
Comité de Lutte contre les Infections, Assistance Publique, Hôpitaux de Marseille, Marseille, France Département d'Information Médicale, Hôpital de la Conception, Assistance Publique, Hôpitaux de Marseille, Marseille, France
Bernard Vialettes
Affiliation:
Service de Médecine Interne, Hôpital Sainte Marguerite, Assistance Publique, Hôpitaux de Marseille, Marseille, France
Michel Drancourt*
Affiliation:
Comité de Lutte contre les Infections, Assistance Publique, Hôpitaux de Marseille, Marseille, France Laboratoire de Bactériologie, Hygiène et Epidémiologie Hospitalières, Assistance Publique, Hôpitaux de Marseille, Marseille, France
*
Laboratoire de Bactériologie, Hygiène et Epidémiologic Hospitalière, Hôpital Timone, rue Saint-Pierre, 13005 Marseille, France
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Abstract

Objective:

To describe a nosocomial influenza A out-break, how it was managed, what impact it had on subsequent delivery of health care, and the additional charges attributable to it.

Design:

Prospective cohort study and microbiological investigation.

Setting:

One internal medicine unit in an acute care, university-affiliated hospital.

Participants:

Twenty-three patients and 22 staff members from February 28 to March 6,1999.

Results:

Attack rates were 41% (9 of 22) among patients and 23% (5 of 22) among staff members, with 3 of 14 cases being classified as “certain”. The influenza virus isolates were typed as A/SYDNEY/5/97 (H3N2). The index case was a patient who shared a room with the first nosocomial case. Vaccination rates for influenza virus were 43% (10 of 23) among patients and 36% (8 of 22) among staff members. The outbreak resulted in staff members' taking 14 person-days of sick leave. Furthermore, 8 scheduled admissions were postponed and all emergency admissions were suspended for 11 days. Hospital charges attributable to the influenza outbreak totaled $34,179 and the average extra charge per infected patient was $3,798.

Conclusions:

Nosocomial influenza outbreaks increase charges and alter the quality of care delivered in acute care settings. Strategies for their prevention need to be evaluated in acute care settings. (Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2002;23:615-619).

Type
Original Articles
Information
Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology , Volume 23 , Issue 10 , October 2002 , pp. 615 - 619
Copyright
Copyright © The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America 2002

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