Healthcare-associated Infections

At any given time, about 1 in every 20 patients has an infection related to their hospital care. HAIs not only affect patient lives, but also add to our growing healthcare costs.

CDC has identified eliminating HAIs as a winnable battle. With additional effort and support for evidence-based, cost-effective strategies that we can implement now, we can have a significant impact on our nation’s health.

This healthcare-associated infection briefing folder provides a snapshot of the context and background for this priority area, as well as descriptions of some of the systems, policy and programmatic interventions pursued by CDC and our public health partners at the federal, state and local levels. This information will be updated periodically as new data or relevant information becomes available.

For more information or if you have questions about the materials provided here, please contact adprogram@cdc.gov

Healthcare-Associated Infection (HAI) Briefing Materials:

• Introduction letter from CDC Director Dr. Thomas R. Frieden [PDF - 62KB]
• PowerPoint slides, which can be tailored for your use by adding specific data, case studies, and other useful information [PPT - 11.69MB]
• Vital Signs, which outlines healthcare-associated infections as a public health problem and offers solutions for what we can all do to make healthcare safer

Supplemental materials include:

• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
  • FAQs about Catheter-associated Bloodstream Infections [PDF - 190KB]
  • FAQs about Catheter-associated Urinary Tract Infection [PDF - 225KB]
  • FAQs about Clostridium difficile [PDF - 178KB]
  • FAQs about Surgical Site Infections [PDF - 207KB]
  • FAQs about MRSA [PDF - 215KB]
  • FAQs about Ventilator-associated Pneumonia [PDF - 182KB]
• Safe Injection Practices – One and Only Campaign Materials
  • Provider Brochure [PDF - 1.72MB]
  • Provider Pocket Card [PDF - 215KB]
  • Patient Brochure [PDF - 1MB]
  • One and Only Campaign Website
• CDC's Hand Hygiene Patient Materials, including a patient admission video, brochures and posters
• Guide to Infection Prevention for Outpatient Settings
• Snapshot of major media coverage [PDF - 273KB]
• Eliminating Healthcare-Associated Infections: State Policy Options
• Key Scientific Articles [PDF - 285KB]

Supplemental materials available in Spanish include:

• Preguntas frecuentes infecciones sanguíneas asociadas al catéter intravenoso [PDF - 217 KB]
• Preguntas frecuentes "Infección urinaria asociada al catéter urinario" [PDF - 217 KB]
• Preguntas frecuentes "Clostridium difficile" [PDF - 206 KB]
• Preguntas frecuentes "Infecciones del sitio quirúrgico" [PDF - 217 KB]
• Preguntas frecuentes "Staphylococcus aureus resistente a la meticilina" [PDF - 237 KB]
• Preguntas frecuentes "Neumonía asociada al ventilador" [PDF - 217 KB]