When someone develops an infection at a hospital or other patient care facility that they did not have prior to treatment, this is referred to as a Healthcare-Associated (sometimes hospital-acquired) Infection (HAI).
Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs) are a global crisis affecting both patients and healthcare workers.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), at any point in time, 1.4 million people worldwide suffer from infections acquired in hospitals.
A Centers for Disease Control (CDC) report published in March-April 2007 estimated the number of U.S. deaths from healthcare associated infections in 2002 at 98,987.
The risk of acquiring Healthcare-Associated Infections in developing countries is 2-20 times higher than in developed countries.
Afflicting thousands of patients every year, HAI often leads to lengthened hospital stays, increasing the likelihood of readmission, and adding sizably to the cost of care per patient.
Financially, HAIs represent an estimated annual impact of $6.7 billion to healthcare facilities, but the human cost is even higher.
About Not on My Watch Prevention Campaign
To protect patients by reducing the risk of HAI, healthcare professionals must continually update their knowledge of infection management.
As part of an ongoing commitment to quality care and infection prevention, nationwide doctors and hospitals are partnering with Kimberly-Clark to deliver continuing education programs on Healthcare-Associated Infection (HAI) prevention to staff and management. As simple as education sounds, busy doctors and nurses on the front lines of delivering care can find it difficult to find the time to take advantage of scheduled programs within their hospitals.
The HAI Education Program is part of a national infection awareness campaign for healthcare professionals called "Not on My Watch" and will provide the facility with a toolkit that contains informational flyers, patient safety tips and posters.
The "Not on My Watch" campaign provides accredited continuing education (CE) programs based on best practices and guidelines as well as research available on reducing the incidence of Healthcare-Associated Infections.
For details about the "Not On My Watch" campaign, and the HAI Education Bus please visit www.HAIwatch.com.
Join the community of healthcare professionals concerned with preventing Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), which at any given moment seriously affect 1.4 million hospitalized patients worldwide. The HAI WATCHDOG* Community forums are intended to provide a place for healthcare providers to discuss issues and best practices related to Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs).
Kimberly-Clark is committed to helping win the battle to prevent HAIs. As part of that effort, we are pleased to sponsor this community site for healthcare providers to discuss HAIs without mention of product-specific information.
Barbara Dunn
guest post: provided by Scotty, Scotts Contracting who wishes everyone: Health, Wealth, and Wisdom.
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