Clinical Units Remain Vigilant in Preventing HAIs
Members of the Med/Surg team at Watauga Medical Center celebrate no Catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) in more than a year.
Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs) are infections that patients get while or soon after receiving healthcare. They are a serious threat to healthcare safety.1 The good news is that many are preventable.
HAIs can occur in any care setting and happen when bacteria, viruses and other germs enter a patient’s body. These infections are often associated with the use of medical devices like catheters and ventilators, surgical procedures, transmission between patients and healthcare workers, and overuse of antibiotics.2
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 5% of all hospital admissions result in a healthcare-associated infection.
Common types of HAI’s include:
- Catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI)
- Central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI)
- Clostridium difficile (C. diff)
- Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)
UNC Health Appalachian has always been seriously committed to patient safety – especially when it comes to preventing HAIs. Because of this, we are currently below the national average for most HAIs. Over the next year, our clinical departments are intensifying efforts to further improve our Standard Infection Ratio (SIR). Each quarter we are recognizing and celebrating the inpatient clinical units across the organization where no HAIs have occurred. Recognizing the significant impact HAIs have on patient outcomes, we are not only celebrating our continued success but we’re also remaining vigilant, transparent, and open to best practices for prevention and early detection.
1 https://www.cdc.gov/healthcare-associated-infections/hcp/prevention-healthcare/index.html
2 https://epi.dph.ncdhhs.gov/cd/diseases/hai.html
