Since November 2024, Rīga Stradiņš University (RSU), in cooperation with Rīga East Clinical University Hospital (Eastern Hospital), has been actively implementing the project Development of Criteria for the Control of Nosocomial Infections (NKI) and the Optimisation of Healthcare Resources, with Application Algorithms and Roadmaps. The project will continue until the beginning of 2026, aiming to reduce the spread of hospital-acquired infections and make the healthcare system more efficient and safer for both patients and staff.
The algorithms and roadmaps developed during the project will help introduce standardised NKI monitoring and control solutions in Latvian hospitals. At the same time, a training program is being developed to ensure that at least 500 medical professionals acquire effective risk-reduction techniques. The main goal is to reduce the number of NKI cases significantly and to create prediction tools that can be practically implemented in Latvian hospitals.
"The research provides a precise insight into how and where infection risks arise in hospitals. This allows us to develop scientifically based, practically applicable solutions, because unfortunately, even in hospitals, microorganisms are observed, which can be transmitted by patients or their relatives during visits," emphasises Professor Dr. habil. med. Ludmila Vīksna, Head of the RSU Department of Infectology, pilot project manager, and Infectology Adviser at the Eastern Hospital.
From April to June 2025, screening tests were carried out on 58 patients at the Eastern Hospital’s Emergency and Admissions Clinic to identify antimicrobial resistance genes, using a modern molecular biology method that delivers results within an hour. There are patients who, upon hospital admission, were found to carry resistance mechanisms against a broad range of antibiotics, as well as bacteria of the genera Citrobacter, Enterobacter, and Enterococcus resistant to multiple treatment agents.
