Inpatient infections

Inpatient infections

Among hospital inpatients, healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) lead to the loss of tens of thousands of lives and cost the U.S. healthcare system billions of dollars each year.

These factors raise the risk of HAIs:

• Catheters (bloodstream, endotracheal, and urinary).
• Surgery
• Injections
• Healthcare settings that aren’t properly cleaned and disinfected.
• Communicable diseases passing between patients and healthcare workers.
• Overuse or improper use of antibiotics.

Common HAIs patients get in hospitals include:

• Central-line associated bloodstream infections.
• Clostridium difficile.
• Pneumonia
• Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).
• Surgical site infections.
• Urinary tract infections.
• Catheter-associated urinary tract infections.

Source: Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (https://health.gov/hcq/prevent-hai.asp)