Hospital-acquired infection
Infections acquired in healthcare settings, often preventable.
A hospital-acquired infection (HAI), also known as a nosocomial infection, is an infection acquired in a hospital or other healthcare facility. The term is used when there is a lack of evidence that the infection was present upon admission, meaning it was acquired or became problematic post-admission. Such infections can occur in hospitals, nursing homes, rehabilitation facilities, outpatient clinics, diagnostic laboratories, or other clinical settings.
- field
- Healthcare epidemiology and infection control
- known_for
- Infections acquired in healthcare settings, often with antimicrobial resistance, causing severe pneumonia, urinary tract, bloodstream, and other infections
- estimated_US_cases_2002
- 1.7 million
- estimated_US_deaths_2002
- 99,000
- estimated_UK_patients_2017
- 300,000
- estimated_UK_NHS_annual_cost_2017
- £1 billion
Lore & Background
Hospital-acquired infections can be spread by various means, including healthcare staff, contaminated equipment, bed linens, air droplets, or the patient's own skin microbiota after surgery or procedures that compromise the skin barrier or immune system. The infection may originate from the outside environment, another infected patient, infected staff, or in some cases the source cannot be determined. In-dwelling catheters have been identified with such infections, and intravascular antimicrobial lock therapy is used to reduce biofilm formation. Contact transmission is divided into direct-contact and indirect-contact subgroups.
Reader's Guide
Hospital-acquired infections represent a significant burden on healthcare systems, with the CDC estimating 1.7 million cases and 99,000 deaths in the United States in 2002, and the UK reporting 300,000 affected patients in 2017 costing the NHS about £1 billion annually. In Europe, gram-negative infections account for two-thirds of 25,000 HAI-related deaths each year. Prevention strategies include handwashing, sanitation protocols, sterilization, isolation precautions, and careful use of antimicrobial agents. The Maryland Hospital-Acquired Conditions Program, which provides financial rewards and penalties, saw complication rates fall by 15.26% over two years, translating into over $100 million in cost savings. Patient susceptibility is increased by immunosuppressive medications, impaired immunity, and indwelling devices. Antimicrobial resistance complicates treatment, and surveillance for device-associated infections such as ventilator-associated pneumonia and catheter-associated infections is commonly reported by bodies like the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and the CDC.
Did You Know?
- The term 'nosocomial' comes from Greek 'nosokomeîon' meaning hospital, from 'nósos' (disease) and 'koméō' (to tend, care for).
- In 2002, the CDC estimated roughly 1.7 million healthcare-associated infections occurred in the United States, causing or contributing to an estimated 99,000 deaths.
- In the UK about 300,000 patients were affected in 2017, costing the NHS about £1 billion a year.
- The Maryland Hospital-Acquired Conditions Program saw complication rates fall by 15.26% over two years, saving over $100 million.
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