Abstract
Objectives To determine the prevalence, incidence, and risk factors associated with nosocomial infections (NI) in neonates admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of Sultan Qaboos University Hospital (SQUH) in Oman. Methods A retrospective cohort study was conducted, involving neonates admitted to the NICU between January 2020 and December 2023. Data were collected from medical records, focusing on demographics, clinical characteristics, and laboratory results. Statistical analysis was performed to identify significant risk factors for NI. Ethical approval was obtained from the Medical Research Ethics Committee of Sultan Qaboos University. Results Of the 1,642 neonates admitted to the NICU at SQUH from 2020-2023, 292 developed NI. The average prevalence of NI among NICU neonates was 17.95%(N=292), with an incidence of 13.75 per 1,000 patient-days and 17.78 per 100 admissions. Respiratory tract infections are more prevalent (N=107). Gram-positive organisms are more frequent in bloodstream infections(N=47) (63.4%). However, gram-negative organisms have a higher prevalence in the urinary tract, conjunctivitis, the respiratory tract, and surgical site infections. Invasive mechanical ventilation was identified as a significant risk factor for respiratory tract infections. Additionally, respiratory tract infections were associated with prolonged hospitalizations. However, mortality rates did not differ significantly across the different infection types (P=0.49). Conclusion The findings underscore that NI poses a significant challenge within the NICU at SQUH, necessitating targeted interventions to mitigate its occurrence and impact on neonatal outcomes.