Surveillance of Health care-Associated Infections: Challenges and Opportunities.

摘要

Health care-associated infections (HAIs) have been recognized as a problem at least since the time of Ignac Semmelweis, an obstetrician who associated puerperal fever with lack of hand-washing among physicians and medical students in a Vienna General Hospital maternity ward in 1847.1 Despite improved understanding of risk factors for HAIs in the 21st century, it has been estimated that there were 1.7 million HAIs and 99 000 deaths from HAIs in US hospitals in 2002.2 These numbers may be underestimates because of underreporting, incomplete postdischarge surveillance, and other factors. In addition, the recent increase in Clostridium difficile infections (CDIs)3 and the ongoing emergence of infections caused by multidrug-resistant organisms4 might cause current rates to be even higher.