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Staphylococcus infection
Credit: Bill Branson
About 1 in 25 US patients will contract at least 1 healthcare-associated infection (HAI) during the course of hospital care, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The agency has released 2 new reports on the topic.
The first, published in NEJM, is a survey of nearly 200 hospitals, which researchers used to estimate the national burden of HAIs in 2011.
The second is a 2012 annual report on the progress made toward US Health and Human Services HAI
prevention goals.
Together, the reports suggest that US hospitals have made progress in their effort to eliminate HAIs, but more work is needed to improve patient safety.
“Although there has been some progress, today and every day, more than 200 Americans with healthcare-associated infections will die during their hospital stay,” said CDC Director Tom Frieden, MD, MPH.
“The most advanced medical care won’t work if clinicians don’t prevent infections through basic things such as regular hand hygiene. Healthcare workers want the best for their patients. Following standard infection control practices every time will help ensure their patients’ safety.”
Estimating HAI incidence
The CDC Multistate Point-Prevalence Survey of Health Care-Associated Infections, published in NEJM, used 2011 data from 183 US hospitals to estimate the burden of a wide range of infections in hospital patients.
That year, about 721,800 infections occurred in 648,000 hospital patients. About 75,000 patients with HAIs died during their hospitalizations.
The most common infections were pneumonia (22%), surgical-site infections (22%), gastrointestinal infections (17%), urinary tract infections (13%), and bloodstream infections (10%).
The most common causes of HAIs were Clostridium difficile (12%), Staphylococcus aureus (including MRSA; 11%), Klebsiella (10%), Escherichia coli (9%), Enterococcus (9%), and Pseudomonas (7%).
Tracking national progress
The second report, CDC’s National and State Healthcare-associated Infection Progress Report, includes a subset of infection types that are often required to be reported to CDC.
The report revealed a 44% decrease in central line-associated bloodstream infections between 2008 and 2012, as well as a 20% decrease in infections related to 10 surgical procedures between 2008 and 2012.
There was a 4% decrease in hospital-onset MRSA between 2011 and 2012 and a 2% decrease in hospital-onset C difficile infections between 2011 and 2012.
On the other hand, there was a 3% increase in catheter-associated urinary tract infections between 2009 and 2012.
To access both reports and see the updated HAI data, visit the CDC website. 
Staphylococcus infection
Credit: Bill Branson
About 1 in 25 US patients will contract at least 1 healthcare-associated infection (HAI) during the course of hospital care, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The agency has released 2 new reports on the topic.
The first, published in NEJM, is a survey of nearly 200 hospitals, which researchers used to estimate the national burden of HAIs in 2011.
The second is a 2012 annual report on the progress made toward US Health and Human Services HAI
prevention goals.
Together, the reports suggest that US hospitals have made progress in their effort to eliminate HAIs, but more work is needed to improve patient safety.
“Although there has been some progress, today and every day, more than 200 Americans with healthcare-associated infections will die during their hospital stay,” said CDC Director Tom Frieden, MD, MPH.
“The most advanced medical care won’t work if clinicians don’t prevent infections through basic things such as regular hand hygiene. Healthcare workers want the best for their patients. Following standard infection control practices every time will help ensure their patients’ safety.”
Estimating HAI incidence
The CDC Multistate Point-Prevalence Survey of Health Care-Associated Infections, published in NEJM, used 2011 data from 183 US hospitals to estimate the burden of a wide range of infections in hospital patients.
That year, about 721,800 infections occurred in 648,000 hospital patients. About 75,000 patients with HAIs died during their hospitalizations.
The most common infections were pneumonia (22%), surgical-site infections (22%), gastrointestinal infections (17%), urinary tract infections (13%), and bloodstream infections (10%).
The most common causes of HAIs were Clostridium difficile (12%), Staphylococcus aureus (including MRSA; 11%), Klebsiella (10%), Escherichia coli (9%), Enterococcus (9%), and Pseudomonas (7%).
Tracking national progress
The second report, CDC’s National and State Healthcare-associated Infection Progress Report, includes a subset of infection types that are often required to be reported to CDC.
The report revealed a 44% decrease in central line-associated bloodstream infections between 2008 and 2012, as well as a 20% decrease in infections related to 10 surgical procedures between 2008 and 2012.
There was a 4% decrease in hospital-onset MRSA between 2011 and 2012 and a 2% decrease in hospital-onset C difficile infections between 2011 and 2012.
On the other hand, there was a 3% increase in catheter-associated urinary tract infections between 2009 and 2012.
To access both reports and see the updated HAI data, visit the CDC website.
Staphylococcus infection
Credit: Bill Branson
About 1 in 25 US patients will contract at least 1 healthcare-associated infection (HAI) during the course of hospital care, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The agency has released 2 new reports on the topic.
The first, published in NEJM, is a survey of nearly 200 hospitals, which researchers used to estimate the national burden of HAIs in 2011.
The second is a 2012 annual report on the progress made toward US Health and Human Services HAI
prevention goals.
Together, the reports suggest that US hospitals have made progress in their effort to eliminate HAIs, but more work is needed to improve patient safety.
“Although there has been some progress, today and every day, more than 200 Americans with healthcare-associated infections will die during their hospital stay,” said CDC Director Tom Frieden, MD, MPH.
“The most advanced medical care won’t work if clinicians don’t prevent infections through basic things such as regular hand hygiene. Healthcare workers want the best for their patients. Following standard infection control practices every time will help ensure their patients’ safety.”
Estimating HAI incidence
The CDC Multistate Point-Prevalence Survey of Health Care-Associated Infections, published in NEJM, used 2011 data from 183 US hospitals to estimate the burden of a wide range of infections in hospital patients.
That year, about 721,800 infections occurred in 648,000 hospital patients. About 75,000 patients with HAIs died during their hospitalizations.
The most common infections were pneumonia (22%), surgical-site infections (22%), gastrointestinal infections (17%), urinary tract infections (13%), and bloodstream infections (10%).
The most common causes of HAIs were Clostridium difficile (12%), Staphylococcus aureus (including MRSA; 11%), Klebsiella (10%), Escherichia coli (9%), Enterococcus (9%), and Pseudomonas (7%).
Tracking national progress
The second report, CDC’s National and State Healthcare-associated Infection Progress Report, includes a subset of infection types that are often required to be reported to CDC.
The report revealed a 44% decrease in central line-associated bloodstream infections between 2008 and 2012, as well as a 20% decrease in infections related to 10 surgical procedures between 2008 and 2012.
There was a 4% decrease in hospital-onset MRSA between 2011 and 2012 and a 2% decrease in hospital-onset C difficile infections between 2011 and 2012.
On the other hand, there was a 3% increase in catheter-associated urinary tract infections between 2009 and 2012.
To access both reports and see the updated HAI data, visit the CDC website.