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Healthcare-Associated Infections
Overview & Objectives
HAIs are infections that patients get while receiving treatment for medical or surgical conditions, and many HAIs are preventable. Modern healthcare employs many types of invasive devices and procedures to treat patients and to help them recover. Infections can be associated with procedures (like surgery) and the devices used in medical procedures, such as catheters or ventilators. HAIs are important causes of morbidity and mortality in the United States and are associated with a substantial increase in health care costs each year. At any one time in the United States, 1 out of every 25 hospitalized patients are affected by an HAI.
HAIs occur in all types of care settings, including:
Acute care hospitals
Ambulatory surgical centers
Dialysis facilities
Outpatient care (e.g., physicians' offices and health care clinics)
Long-term care facilities (e.g., nursing homes and rehabilitation facilities)
The establishment of the Healthcare-Associated Infections objectives for Healthy People 2020 reflects the commitment of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to preventing HAIs. These high-priority objectives address central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI) and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections.
A central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) is a serious HAI that occurs when germs (e.g., bacteria) enter the bloodstream through the central line (a long flexible tube placed in a large vein that empties out near the heart). These infections result in thousands of deaths each year and several million dollars in added costs to the U.S. health care system.
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a type of bacteria that is resistant to many antibiotics. In medical facilities, MRSA causes life-threatening bloodstream infections, pneumonia, and surgical site infections.
Besides these sources of HAIs, several other sources have been identified as major contributors to HAI-related illness and deaths in the National Action Plan to Prevent Healthcare-Associated Infections: Roadmap to Elimination.
Common types of HAIs include:
Catheter-associated urinary tract infections
Surgical site infections
Bloodstream infections
Pneumonia
Clostridium difficile
Why Are Healthcare-Associated Infections Important?
HAIs are a significant source of complications across the continuum of care and can be transmitted between different health care facilities. However, recent studies suggest that implementing existing prevention practices can lead to up to a 70 percent reduction in certain HAIs.
Likewise, recent modeling data suggests that substantial reductions in resistant bacteria, like MRSA, can be achieved through coordinated activities between health care facilities in a given region.
The financial benefit of using these prevention practices is estimated to be $25 billion to $31.5 billion in medical cost savings.
Risk factors for HAIs can be grouped into three general categories: medical procedures and antibiotic use, organizational factors, and patient characteristics. The behaviors of health care providers and their interactions with the health care system also influence the rate of HAIs.
Studies have shown that proper education and training of health care workers increases compliance with and adoption of best practices (e.g., infection control, hand hygiene, attention to safety culture, and antibiotic stewardship) to prevent HAIs.5,6 Examples of best practices by a health care provider include careful insertion, maintenance, and prompt removal of catheters, as well as the careful use of antibiotics. Another example of a best practice is decolonization of patients with an evidence-based method to reduce transmission of MRSA in hospitals.
https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topics-objectives/topic/healthcare-associated-infections
National Action Plan to Prevent Health Care-Associated Infections: Road Map to Elimination
https://health.gov/our-work/health-care-quality/health-care-associated-infections/national-hai-action-plan
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