Perfil das publicações científicas sobre o controle de infecção associada ao cuidado nos serviços hospitalares de urgência e emergência.

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: The World Health Organization (WHO) defines patient safety as the reduction of unnecessary harm risks, aiming to reduce healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), one of the major adverse events. The prevention of these infections is essential to ensure quality care free from avoidable errors. The Healthcare-Associated Infection Control Service (SCIRAS) is crucial in preventing hospital infections, with actions that include continuous education, protocol implementation, and monitoring. Early triage and isolation are important measures to prevent infections, especially in the emergency context.OBJECTIVE: To map the profile of publications in the literature regarding infection control associated with care in hospital emergency and urgent care services. METHODOLOGY: This is an integrative literature review using the PICo strategy. The research question was: "What is the profile of scientific publications on infection control associated with care in hospital emergency and urgent care services?" The search covered databases, and the eligibility criteria were: languages Portuguese and English from 2019 to 2024. RESULTS: Initially, 2,192 studies were identified, and after applying the eligibility criteria, 17 articles were included in this study. Most of the studies were published between 2019 and 2024, with the highest number of publications in 2023. Among the articles included in this study, the predominance of integrative reviews was observed, accounting for 53% of the total publications, followed by qualitative studies, convergent research, narrative reviews, and cross-sectional studies. Among the most discussed topics in the selected articles, hand hygiene stands out as the most cited and essential measure for the prevention of Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs) in healthcare services. Next, infection control and the approach to sepsis in the emergency context are highlighted due to their relevance. CONCLUSION: The study analyzed 17 scientific articles on infection control in hospital emergency and urgent care services, with literature review being the predominant methodology. The main topics addressed were hand hygiene, infection control, continuing education, and sepsis. Nursing was highlighted as fundamental in infection control in the emergency context, contributing significantly to triage, management, and reduction of infection spread.