Point prevalence of hospital-acquired infections in two teaching hospitals of amhara region in ethiopia Walelegn Worku Yallew1 abera Kumie 2 Feleke Moges Yehuala 3 1 institute of Public Health, college of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of gondar, gondar, 2 School of Public Health, college of Health Sciences, addis ababa University, addis ababa, 3 Department of Medical Microbiology, college of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of gondar,gondar, ethiopia Purpose: Hospital-acquired infection (HAI) is a major safety issue affecting the quality of care of hundreds of millions of patients every year, in both developed and developing countries, including Ethiopia. In Ethiopia, there is no comprehensive research that presents the whole picture of HAIs in hospitals. The objective of this study was to examine the nature and extent of HAIs in Ethiopia. Methods: A repeated cross-sectional study was conducted in two teaching hospitals. All eligible inpatients admitted for at least 48 hours on the day of the survey were included. The survey was conducted in dry and wet seasons of Ethiopia, that is, in March to April and July 2015. Physicians and nurses collected the data according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention definition of HAIs. Coded and cleaned data were transferred to SPSS 21 and STATA 13 for analysis. Univariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to examine the prevalence of HAIs and relationship between explanatory and outcome variables. Results: A total of 908 patients were included in this survey, the median age of the patients was 27 years (interquartile range: 16–40 years). A total of 650 (71.6%) patients received antimicrobials during the survey. There were 135 patients with HAI, with a mean prevalence of 14.9% (95% confidence interval 12.7–17.1). Culture results showed that Klebsiellaspp. (22.44%) and Staphylococcus aureus(20.4%) were the most commonly isolated HAI-causing pathogens in these hospitals. The association of patient age and hospital type with the occurrence of HAI was statistically significant. Conclusion: It was observed that the prevalence of HAI was high in the teaching hospitals. Surgical site infections and pneumonia were the most common types of HAIs. Hospital management should give more attention to promoting infection prevention practice for better control of HAIs in teaching hospitals. Keywords:hospital-acquired infection, surgical site infections, Ethiopia, point prevalence Introduction Hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) are a major public health concern throughout the world, contributing to increased morbidity, mortality, and cost.1 HAI is a major safety issue affecting the quality of care of hundreds of millions of patients every year in both developed and developing countries. 2 In developing countries, the problem is three times higher when compared to the incidence observed in adult intensive care units in the US. 3 According to the World Health Organization review, hospital-wide prevalence of health care-associated infections varies from 5.7% to 19.1%, with a pooled prevalence of 10.1% in low-income countries. 4 correspondence: Walelegn Worku Yallew institute of Public Health, college of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of gondar, PO Box 196, gondar, ethiopia Tel +251 911 969 579 Fax +251 581 110 6221 email walelegnwgmail.com Video abstract Point your SmartPhone at the code above. If you have a QR code reader the video abstract will appear. Or use: http://youtu.be/c5f8yjSzM9A Drug, Healthcare and Patient Safety downloaded from https://www.dovepress.com/ by 213.55.72.171 on