Prevalence of Multidrug-Resistant Organism Infections in General Adult Wards in Argentina (PREV-AR 2 - IGA)

This study measures how common infections caused by multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) are among adult patients hospitalized in general medical and surgical wards in Argentina, and how these infections relate to in-hospital death. Background: A 2019 national survey (ENPIHA 2019), conducted across 255 hospital units in Argentina, found that nearly 29% of hospitalized patients had a healthcare-associated infection, most often caused by Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter species, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, E. coli, and Staphylococcus aureus. Most prior regional studies combined data from intensive care and general ward patients together, making it hard to know how much of this burden specifically affects general medical/surgical wards. This study is designed to answer that question directly. On a single day chosen by each hospital between August 4 and 6, 2026, doctors and infection-control staff at participating hospitals across Argentina will record information about every adult patient (18 years or older) who has been in a general adult ward for at least 24 hours. For each patient, the study team records basic demographics, underlying health conditions, whether the patient has an active infection that day, the site and type of that infection, the organism responsible, whether that organism is drug-resistant, and what antibiotics are being used. No study procedures, tests, or treatments are performed - the study only records information that is already part of routine hospital care. Each patient is then followed for up to 60 days after the study day, using existing hospital records, to determine whether they were discharged alive or died in the hospital. No patient names or other identifying information are collected; each patient is assigned a code known only to the local site investigator. This study is sponsored by the Sociedad Argentina de Infectología (SADI), in collaboration with the Sociedad Argentina de Terapia Intensiva (SATI) and the Sociedad Argentina de Medicina (SAM), with no external funding. It is one component of a larger multi-part project, PREV-AR 2, which separately surveys neonatal intensive care units and adult intensive care units at other points in 2026. This registration covers only the general adult ward (Internación General de Adultos, IGA) component.

Inclusion Criteria: * Age 18 years or older * Hospitalized in a general adult medical or surgical ward (Internación General de Adultos, IGA) at a participating institution * Hospitalized in the ward for at least 24 hours prior to 8:00 AM local time on the site's designated study day (within the window of August 4-6, 2026) Exclusion Criteria: * Hospitalized in an area other than a general adult medical/surgical ward on the study day (e.g., intensive care unit, neonatal unit, pediatric ward) * Hospitalized in the ward for less than 24 hours prior to 8:00 AM local time on the study day