Management of Healthcare-Associated Infections in a Private Tertiary Hospital in Port Harcourt, Rivers State

Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) impose significant clinical, economic, and reputational burdens on tertiary hospitals, and their effective management requires coordinated infection control governance. This study evaluated the management of HAIs at a 250-bed private tertiary hospital in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, South South Nigeria. A mixed-methods approach was employed, including retrospective review of HAI surveillance data over 24 months, assessment of the hospital's infection control committee (ICC) structure and meeting records, and structured interviews with infection control staff and ward nurses. Active HAI surveillance using device-associated HAI definitions from the CDC National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) was compared with passive surveillance outcomes. Environmental microbiological data from quarterly assessments were reviewed for trend analysis. Results showed an overall HAI incidence density of 8.4 per 1,000 patient-days, with catheter-associated UTIs (CAUTIs) and ventilator-associated pneumonias (VAPs) as the most frequent HAI types. The ICC met quarterly rather than the recommended monthly frequency. Bundle compliance for CAUTI prevention was 62 percent and for VAP prevention was 54 percent. Implementation of a targeted CAUTI prevention bundle over six months reduced CAUTI incidence by 33 percent. These findings confirm that structured bundle-based HAI prevention programs are effective even in resource-constrained private tertiary hospital settings and highlight governance gaps that impede optimal infection control performance. Keywords: healthcare-associated infections, infection control, CAUTI, VAP, Port Harcourt.