Researchers assess HELICS protocol applicability in European ICUs
The branch of medicine that provides life or organ support systems for patients who are critically ill is known as intensive care medicine. This care is given to patients whose chances for survival are strong and whose conditions are potentially reversible. However, sometimes infections surface in the intensive care units (ICUs) of hospitals, causing great distress for patients and their loved ones. A team of researchers conducted a study to evaluate the applicability of the Hospital in Europe Link for Infection Control through Surveillance (HELICS) protocol in European paediatric ICUs. HELICS is part of the EU's 'Improving patient safety in Europe' programme, which targets control of 'nosocomial infections' through surveillance. Their work was published in the November 2007 issue of the Intensive Care Medicine Journal. The researchers, based in Lille, France, made a comparison of HELICS and paediatric definitions of nosocomial infections. An evaluation of the adaptability of the HELICS questionnaire for paediatric patients was carried out, and was later followed by a Europe-wide survey that assessed nosocomial infection surveillance programmes. The actors participating in the survey were units associated with the European Society of Paediatric and Neonatal Intensive Care and the Francophone Group of Resuscitation and Paediatric Emergencies. According to the researchers, several differences between adult and paediatric ICUs were determined: the definition of ICU-acquired pneumonia; severity scores at admission; and scores of risk for nosocomial infections. Overall, 23 countries were included in the sample and 65 survey responses were obtained. The researchers also found differences in the origin of the definitions of these infections. A whopping 38% of the definitions were from the US-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, followed by 21% that were regionally or nationally based, 20% had multiple origins, and 18% were locally based. Topping the list of most frequently collected nosocomial infections were bloodstream-related infections with 91% of the units, followed by catheter-related infections at 88% and acquired pneumonia at 86%. Rounding off the list were urinary tract infections, at a rate of 77%. The report states that of the units participating in the study, 75% expressed an interest in joining a European paediatric working group on nosocomial infections with the European Society of Paediatric and Neonatal Intensive Care. On the whole, the research shows that the application of the HELICS protocol is required, according to the authors of the report, François Dubos, Marie Vanderborght, et al. 'Its application is largely wished and may be easily performed,' they explain. Such a protocol can prove fruitful in ensuring the well-being of patients battling illnesses.