Vital Signs: Making Health Care Safer

Protect patients from antibiotic-resistant infections.

• Surgeries and single-use catheters help treat patients, but they can be pathways for bacteria to enter the body.
• Bacteria can be spread when appropriate infection control actions are not taken.
• Antibiotics save lives, but poor prescribing practices puts patients at risk.

Combine infection control actions with every patient to prevent infections in healthcare.

• Preventing  infections from catheters and after surgery
• Preventing bacteria from spreading
• Improving antibiotic use.

SOURCE: CDC Vital Signs, March 2016.

Protect every patient every time.

Actions to prevent antibiotic-resistant infections in healthcare.

Prevent infections from catheters and after surgery.

• Use catheters only when needed.
• Follow recommendations for safer surgery and catheter insertion and care.
• Remove catheters from patient as soon as they are no longer needed.

Prevent bacteria from spreading.

• Improve hand hygiene.
• Use gloves, gowns, and dedicated equipment for patients who have resistant bacteria.
• Know about antibiotic-resistant HAI outbreaks in your hospital and region (e.g. promote coordinated action for prevention).

Improve antibiotic use.

• Get cultures and start antibiotics promptly, especially in the case of sepsis.
• Use cultures to reassess the need for antibiotics and stop antibiotic treatment as soon as they are no longer needed.
• When antibiotics are necessary, use the appropriate antibiotic in the proper dosage, frequency, and duration.

National Acute Care Hospitals

Healthcare-associated infections (HAI) are infections patients can get while receiving medical treatment in a healthcare facility. Working toward the elimination of HAIs is a CDC priority. For more information on HAI prevention progress, visit: www.cdc.gov/hai/progress-report/index.html.

CLABSIs
CENTRAL LINE-ASSOCIATED BLOODSTREAM INFECTIONS

• 1 in 6 CLABSIs were caused by urgent or serious antibiotic-resistant threats.

CAUTIs
CATHETER-ASSOCIATED URINARY TRACT INFECTIONS

• 1 in 10 CAUTIs were caused by urgent or serious antibiotic-resistant threats.

SSIs
SURGICAL SITE INFECTIONS

• 1 in 7 SSIs were caused by urgent or serious antibiotic-resistant threats.

C. difficile infections

• 9 in 10 patients diagnosed with C. difficile are related to healthcare.

SOURCE: CDC Vital Signs, March 2016. Data used for this analysis was reported to CDC’s National Healthcare Safety Network.