%0 Generic
%9 Master's Thesis
%A Likumahuwa, Sonja Marie
%D 2008
%F pittir:6923
%K  Latin America; social-ecological model; developing country; nosocomial infection
%T A Social-Ecological Perspective on Nosocomial Infection Control in Developing Countries: Exploring the Role of International NGOs
%U http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/6923/
%X Nosocomial, or hospital-acquired, infection is a serious global public health issue that causes the suffering of 1.4 million people at any given time. This thesis uses the social-ecological model to frame the problem of nosocomial infection control in developing countries, and proposes roles for international non-governmental organizations in developing country settings. Using the social-ecological model reveals nosocomial infection control issues at the individual, hospital, and national policy and infrastructure levels. Interviews were conducted with four organizations: two international non-governmental organizations, the Pan American Health Organization, and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Infection Control Office. Two case studies are presented from Honduras, showing how the two international non-governmental organizations approached the infection control issue in two public hospitals in that country. Recommendations are given for possible intervention points in developing countries.