How widespread is the problem of hospital-acquired infections (HAIs)?
Between 5 and 10 percent of all patients contract at least one hospital-acquired infection—also known as a healthcare-associated infection or nosocomial infection—during their stay in an acute care hospital. According to estimates from the National Nosocomial Infections Surveillance (NNIS) system, in 2002, approximately 1.7 million cases of HAIs and 99,000 associated deaths occurred in U.S. hospitals, leading to extra costs of up to $6.5 billion each year. While the CDC estimated in 1995 that approximately 1.9 million cases of HAIs occurred in hospitals, differences in data collection methods make comparisons between 1995 and 2002 difficult. However, one trend is clear: the infections are becoming more complicated to treat as their resistance to antibiotics grows.
