comparison of microbial culture results before and after implementation of an icu-acquired infection prevention protocol at imam khomeini hospital, ardabil, iran

Introduction: nosocomial (hospital-acquired) infections, particularly in intensive care units (icus), pose a significant challenge to healthcare systems. effective control of icu-related infections is crucial, as it can reduce patient mortality rates and shorten hospital stays. materials and methods: in the interventional study, 74 samples for microbial cultivation were selected of different parts and equipment and sent to the laboratory for analysis. subsequently, the icu departments underwent thorough cleaning, and staff received training on proper hand hygiene protocols. post-intervention sampling was then conducted. data from both pre- and post-intervention measurements (two sampling rounds each with 37 samples) were analyzed and sent to the laboratory. the microbial culture results were recorded in the researcher-designed checklist for further evaluation and collected data were analyzed by statistical methods in spss version 24. results: microbial contamination analysis revealed coagulase-negative staphylococci, escherichia coli, and citrobacter freundii as the most prevalent pathogens (25% each) in pre-intervention samples. following decontamination protocols and staff training, post-intervention cultures showed a reduction in overall contamination, with coagulase-negative staphylococci and acinetobacter spp. emerging as the dominant species (20% each). this observed decrease in microbial load suggests the educational intervention may have contributed to improved infection control practices. conclusion: the results demonstrated a significant reduction in gram-positive and gram-negative bacterial contamination across both medical equipment and hospital surfaces following the decontamination protocol. this observed decrease in microbial load, particularly of pathogenic species, suggests the infection control training program effectively improved sterilization practices among healthcare staff.