A healthcare associated infection is one a patient gets while receiving healthcare.  Patients can get HAIs in a healthcare facility, in an outpatient office, or when getting home health care.  HAIs are caused by microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi.  There are several different types of HAIs.  See the links below for more information.

Types of HAIs

Why People are at Risk for HAIs

Sometimes organisms become resistant to the antibiotics used to treat them.

Microorganisms that resist treatment with more than one antibiotic are called multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs).

Multidrug-Resistant Organisms (MDROs): What Are They?

Prevention

For Patients:

There are simple things that you, as a patient, can do to lower the chances of getting an infection while you are receiving healthcare. See the links below for more information:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Patient Safety: What You Can Do to Be a Safe Patient

Hand Washing: A Simple Way to Help Stop the Spread of Infections

Tips to Reduce Your Risk of Getting a HAI

For Healthcare Institutions and Providers:

The CDC provides national leadership in surveillance, outbreak investigations, laboratory research, and prevention of HAIs. To view prevention resources, and information for different types of healthcare facilities, please see the link below.

CDC: Preventing HAIs

If you would like to learn more about HAIs, visit the CDC’s HAI homepage.

To assist acute care hospitals in focusing and prioritizing efforts to implement evidence based practices for prevention of HAIs, the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America and the Infectious Diseases Society of America Standards and Practices Guidelines Committee appointed a task force to create a concise compendium of recommendations for the prevent of common HAIs.

To contact the Healthcare Associated Infections Program, please call 860-509-7995.