NeoIPC: STABLISHING INNOVATIVE OPTIMAL APPROACHES FOR INFECTION PREVENTION OF RESISTANT BACTERIA IN NICUS BY INTEGRATING RESEARCH, IMPLEMENTATION SCIENCE AND SURVEILLANCE IN A SUSTAINABLE GLOBAL PLATFORM

Nearly 1 in 10 newborns in Europe is admitted to a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in the first days of life, around 400,000 admissions every year. While care in a neonatal unit results in a greater chance of survival in newborns with serious illness, it also increases the risk of exposure to bacteria from the hospital environment. These can cause serious infections in babies, which are commonly resistant to many routinely used antibiotics.

Premature babies are a particularly vulnerable population, because their immune system is immature, and their skin and mucosa are not yet effective barriers against infections. Those who are seriously ill need life saving devices and prolonged antibiotic treatments. All of these factors increase the risk of being colonized with antibiotic-resistant organisms. Colonisation with resistant bacteria is a major problem for several reasons: the colonised babies are at higher risk of severe infection, but they are also a source of resistant bacteria being introduced to the hospital environment, which can potentially infect other babies in the unit.

NeoIPC is establishing innovative approaches for optimal infection prevention of resistant bacteria in NICUs by integrating clinical research, implementation science and surveillance.