US HHS announces plan to prevent HCAIs
The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has unveiled a plan that establishes a set of five-year national prevention targets to reduce and possibly eliminate health care-associated infections (HCAIs).
HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt said: “This collaborative interagency plan will help the nation build a safer, more affordable healthcare system.”
The plan establishes national goals and outlines key actions for enhancing and coordinating HHS-supported efforts. These include development of national benchmarks prioritised recommended clinical practices, a co-ordinated research agenda, an integrated information systems strategy and a national messaging plan.
HHS’ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that approximately 1.7m HCAIs occurred in US hospitals in 2002 and were associated with 99,000 deaths. It also estimates that HCAIs add as much as $20 bin to healthcare costs each year.
Hospital stays for Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection have more than tripled since 2000 and have increased nearly ten-fold since 1995.
Four categories of infections account for approximately three quarters of HCAIs in the acute care hospital setting. These four categories are: Surgical site infections; Central line-associated bloodstream infections; Ventilator-associated pneumonia, and; Catheter-associated urinary tract infections. In addition, infections associated with Clostridium difficile and MRSA also contribute significantly to the overall problem. Currently, urinary tract infections comprise the highest percentage (34%) of HCAIs followed by surgical site infections (17%), bloodstream.
More dteails about the plan can be found at www.hhs.gov/ophs