Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs): What Patients & Families Need to Know
A healthcare-associated infection (HAI) is an infection you can get while receiving care in a hospital, clinic, nursing home, or at home with medical equipment. These infections are caused by germs (bacteria, viruses, or fungi) that can spread during procedures, device use (like IV lines or urinary catheters), wound care, or from person to person.
HAIs are becoming more resistant to antibiotics and antifungals, making them difficult, and sometimes impossible, to treat. But most HAIs are preventable, and patients and families play a big part in staying safe.
Quick Facts
- HAIs can happen in any care setting, not just hospitals.
- Handwashing (with soap and water or alcohol hand rub) is the most effective step to prevent infection.
- Devices (like central lines, urinary catheters, and ventilators) and surgical wounds carry higher risk.
- Speaking up about clean hands, device care, and symptoms is encouraged, and helps your care team keep you safe.
Tips for Being a Safe Patient
Being a safe patient reduces your risk for illnesses while you receive care in places like a hospital or other health care setting.
- Tell your health care provider about any recent care.
- Tell your health care provider if you think you have an infection or if your infection is getting worse.
- Take antibiotics exactly as prescribed and tell your healthcare provider if you have any side effects, such as diarrhea.
- Remind staff and visitors to keep their hands clean.
- Allow people to clean your room.
Taking Care at Home
If you or a family member are at home with a diagnosed HAI, it is important to know how to keep the infection from spreading. Follow your health care provider's instructions and use these guidelines to help stop the spread of infection.
- Take antibiotics only when necessary and as directed by your provider.
- Wash your hands often with soap and water or use alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
- Cover your coughs and sneezes. If you used a tissue, throw it away immediately and wash your hands.
- Keep wounds and dressings clean.
- Keep your environment clean, especially highly touched surfaces.
- Wash soiled laundry as soon as possible in hot water.
Frequently Asked Questions
HAIs can spread through contact with health care workers, contaminated surfaces, medical equipment, or other patients. Certain factors like a weakened immune system, surgical wounds, or prolonged hospital stays can increase a person's risk for an HAI.
The severity of HAIs depends on the type of germ causing the infection, how bad the infection is, your family member's overall health, and how quickly it was treated. The health care team should continue to monitor the infection and treatment plan.
Some HAIs require extended treatment and monitoring which could prolong a hospital stay. Each patient and infection is different. Stay in contact with the health care provider to understand how the HAI may impact recovery and the length of the hospital stay.
Clean your hands when you enter and leave the room of the person receiving care.
Don’t visit if you are sick.
Follow posted signs about masks, gowns, or gloves.
Don’t touch dressings, tubes, or devices.
Help patients speak up and follow care instructions.
The Department of Health has a state HAI plan guiding HAI prevention efforts. It includes:
- Monitoring Vermont's progress preventing infections through Hospital Report Cards and CDC reports.
- Improving antibiotic use practices by supporting efforts that patients get the right antibiotic at the right time, with the correct dosage and for the correct duration.
- Coordinating a statewide collaborative to prevent healthcare-associated infections and antimicrobial resistance in healthcare settings.
Questions?
Contact the HAI Program at the Health Department at [email protected].