Why People Are at Risk for Healthcare Associated Infections (HAIs)
Anyone getting medical care is at some risk for an HAI; however, some people are at higher risk than others, including the following:
Very young people – premature babies and very sick children.
Very old people – the frail and the elderly.
People with certain medical conditions – such as diabetes.
People with weakened immune systems – from disease, or because they are getting trreatments that weaken their immune system. Cancer treatments (like chemotherapy or radiation) or steroids are treatments that can weaken the immune system.
Other risk factors:
Length of stay in a healthcare facility – a long hospital stay.
Surgery – long and complicated surgery.
Hand washing techniques – inadequate hand washing by hospital staff, visitors, and patients.
Antibiotics – overuse of antibiotics can lead to resistant bacteria, which means that antibiotics become less effective and do not work as well.
Equipment – medical equipment that enters the body can introduce bacteria and infection into the body. For example, urinary catheters, intravenous drips and infusions, respiratory equipment, and drain tubes.
Wounds – wounds, incisions (surgical cuts), burns, and skin ulcers are all prone to infection.
High-risk patient care areas – some patient care areas are more likely to have infections, such as hospital intensive care units.
To contact the Healthcare Associated Infections Program, please call 860-509-7995.
This page features helpful links to information, tools, and resources on healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), which are the most common complication of hospital care and are one of the top 10 leading causes of death in the United States. AHRQ-funded research
and initiatives to reduce HAIs are also highlighted. A core part of the mission of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) is to improve the safety of health care for all Americans. To support this mission, AHRQ has funded numerous projects to reduce healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), infections that patients acquire during the course of receiving treatment for other conditions within a health care setting. HAIs are
the most common complication of hospital care and are one of the top 10 leading causes of death in the United States, accounting for an estimated 1.7 million infections and 99,000 associated deaths in 2002. The financial burden attributable to these infections is estimated at $28 to $33 billion in excess health care costs each year. Fact sheets on AHRQ-funded projects are available for: This page features helpful links to HAI-related information, tools, and resources, and will direct you to AHRQ-funded research and initiatives to reduce HAIs. Top of Page Top of Page Introduction
Tools & Resources
Tools & Resources for Health Care Providers
and Others
Provides a searchable online journal and forum on patient safety and health care quality, including the topic of HAIs. Physicians and nurses can receive free continuing medical education (CME), continuing education units (CEU), or trainee certification by taking the Spotlight Quiz.
Features an overview of Hospitals in Pursuit of Excellence, a platform to disseminate field-tested practices, strategies, tools, and resources that can improve hospital care, including preventing HAIs.
Offers perspectives from Quality Improvement Organizations and
professionals that work to improve the quality of health care by sharing information about best practices with physicians, hospitals, nursing homes, home health agencies, and others on topics including HAIs.
Features news, guidelines, and education opportunities to improve health and patient safety by reducing risks of infection and other adverse outcomes.
Features a secure, Internet-based surveillance system that integrates and expands patient and health care personnel safety surveillance systems.
Features strategies to help hospitals and other inpatient facilities implement interventions to improve antibiotic use.
Features information on appropriate antibiotic use.
Features CMS' list of conditions that hospitals will not receive additional payment for if one of the conditions was not present on admission.
Offers a fact sheet on conditions that hospitals will not receive additional payment for if one of the conditions was not present on
admission.
Offers toolkits to eliminate central line associated blood stream infections using a comprehensive unit-based safety program.
Provides resources on reducing antimicrobial resistance and the need for new antibiotics.
Features improvement methods, measurement plans, and tools to reduce HAIs.
Offers a checklist that provides critical steps that have been shown to reduce central line infections..
Features news and collaborative activities surrounding the
Michigan Health & Hospital Association Keystone Center, including HAI prevention..
Features a document listing 34 safe practices that should be universally used in applicable clinical care settings to reduce the risk of harm to patients.
Offers recommendations and guidelines on drug-resistant organisms, including MRSA
Links to a PDF brochure on how to prevent HAIs.
Computer-based, interactive learning tool for clinicians, health professional students, and patient advocates.
Features an overview of the campaign and offers tools and resources to prevent
infections.Tools & Resources for Consumers
Features a National Web-based resource that posts news and resources on patient
safety, including HAIs.
Offers resources on patient safety, including infection control, from a consumer-led nonprofit organization.
Provides links to CDC resources, including estimates of HAIs, lists of infectious diseases in
health care settings, and information on antimicrobial resistance.
Offers CDC information on MRSA symptoms and includes fact sheets on MRSA in schools and athletes.
Features information on appropriate antibiotic use.
Provides information on topics of interest to consumers, including infections, medicines, and recalls.
Features a plan that establishes national goals for HAI prevention and outlines key actions for achieving identified short- and long-term objectives.
Links to information on bacteria, including preventing and treating infections.
Offers information on antimicrobial drug resistance, including its causes, diagnosis, and treatment.
Page last reviewed June 2018
Page originally created September 2012
Internet Citation: Health Care-Associated Infections. Content last reviewed June 2018. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD.
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