Hospital-Acquired Infections in Ill. Facilities Have Declined, CDC Reports

Hospital-Acquired Infections in Ill. Facilities Have Declined, CDC Reports

Category: Medical Malpractice

Posted May 15, 2015 by admin


Hospital-acquired infections (HIAs) are infections people develop as a result of being treated in a healthcare facility. Given that these people tend to already have health impairments, HIAs can be serious – if not deadly – in the worst cases.

Currently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are working on eliminating HIAs in the U.S. To this end, the CDC has been tracking data on hospital-acquired infections by state, and it has recently reported that HIAs in Illinois facilities have been on the decline over the past few years.

The Types of HIAs Tracked

Mount Vernon medical malpractice lawyers discuss the CDC’s findings on hospital-acquired infections in Illinois healthcare facilities.
Mount Vernon medical malpractice lawyers discuss the CDC’s findings on hospital-acquired infections in Illinois healthcare facilities.

The CDC tracks five types of hospital-acquired infections, including:

  • Central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs), which typically develop when an intravenous tube is not properly inserted or clean, allowing germs to enter the body
  • Catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs), which usually develop when a catheter is not properly inserted, not kept clean and/or not replaced when necessary
  • MSRA infections, which usually spread through hand contamination and can lead to sepsis (serious bloodstream infections)
  • Surgical site infection (SSIs), which can impact the skin at the surgery site and/or the underlying tissues, organs and/or implanted devices
  • C. difficile infections, which develop in people who are taking antibiotics.

HIA Trends in Illinois Healthcare Facilities

Type of HIA Incidence*
CLABSIs 53% decrease
CAUTIs 3% decrease
MSRA infections 29% decrease
SSIs 42% decrease
C. difficile infections 9% decrease

*This is the incidence of an HIA when compared to the national baseline values.

While the overall decline in the incidence of hospital-acquired infections in Illinois healthcare facilities is promising, officials have pointed out that a lot more still needs to be done to reach their goal of bringing these numbers down to zero.

What do you think about the CDC’s findings? Share your opinions with us on Facebook & Google+.

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