Reviewed and revised 6 June 2015
OVERVIEW
- Healthcare associated infections (HAIs) are infections acquired in healthcare facilities and infections that occur as a result of healthcare interventions, which may manifest after people leave the healthcare facility
- Each year in Australia there are about 200,000 HAIs
- they are potentially preventable adverse events
- reducing HAI is the responsibility of all healthcare workers
COLONISATION VERSUS INFECTION
- Colonisation is the sustained presence of replicating infectious agents on or in the body without the production of an immune response (infection) or disease, and is a potential source of transmission
- Infection is the successful transmission of microorganisms to the host with subsequent multiplication, colonisation and invasion. Infection may be clinical or subclinical and may not produce identifiable disease
SOURCE
- either resident or transient flora on skin, acquired through direct contact or from the environment (e.g. droplet, airborne)
- either endogenous (from the patient) or exogenous (from others or the environment)
TRANSMISSION
- contact is direct (from one person to another) or indirect (from one person via another or the environment to another)
- droplets from cough or breathing
- airborne from aerosolized secretions
- environmental (e.g. contaminated food, water, medications, devices or equipment)
ORGANISMS
- bacteria
- viruses
- fungi
VULNERABLE PATIENTS
- severe underlying medical disease (e.g. immunosuppression)
- recent surgery
- indwelling devices (e.g. urinary catheters or endotracheal tubes)
References and links
LITFL
- CCC — Hand hygiene
- CCC — Ventilator associated pneumonia (VAP)
- CCC — Central line infections, CRBSI and CLABSI
Journal articles and textbooks
- Burke JP. Infection control – a problem for patient safety. N Engl J Med. 2003;348:(7)651-6. [pubmed]
- Carter EJ, Pouch SM, Larson EL. Common infection control practices in the emergency department: a literature review. Am J Infect Control. 2014;42:(9)957-62. [pubmed]
- Marcel JP, Alfa M, Baquero F, et al. Healthcare-associated infections: think globally, act locally. Clin Microbiol Infect. 2008;14:(10)895-907. [pubmed]
Critical Care
Compendium
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