Prevalence of Nosocomial Infections During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Background: Although the current literature suggests the significant impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on nosocomial infections, evidence is still scarce in this regard. Objectives: The present study aimed to systematically review the current literature to estimate the prevalence of hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) and their determinants during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A comprehensive search was conducted via electronic databases such as EMBASE, Google Scholar, Scopus, PubMed, and Web of Science from the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic until the end of June 2021. To estimate the pooled prevalence of nosocomial infections, the random effects model was used. Results: The prevalence of HAIs during the COVID-19 pandemic was estimated at 15% (95% CI: 9 - 24). COVID-19 infection accounted for the highest infection rate in patients with HAIs (63%; 95% CI: 43 - 75), followed by bloodstream infections (39%; 95% CI: 56 - 24). Among the common organisms that infected patients with HAIs, coronavirus had the highest rate (63%; 95% CI: 43 - 75), followed by Enterococci and Enterococcus, respectively. In addition, positive significant correlations were observed between the prevalence of nosocomial infections, age, and length of hospital stay (P < 0.05). Conclusions: According to the results, nosocomial infections are an important consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly in the elderly and high-risk populations with prolonged hospital stay. Therefore, the early detection of infected individuals could be a key step toward improving the quality of response to the current pandemic.