CDC and ASTHO Release Policy Toolkit for Healthcare-associated Infection Prevention | CDC - Policy Toolkit for HAI prevention - HAI

CDC and ASTHO Release Policy Toolkit for Healthcare-associated Infection Prevention

The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have released of a policy toolkit for the elimination of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs): Eliminating Healthcare-Associated Infections: State Policy Options. [PDF - 1.57 MB] (http://www.cdc.gov/HAI/pdfs/toolkits/toolkit-HAI-POLICY-FINAL_03-2011.pdf)

As a significant cause of death, HAIs are a critical challenge to public health in the United States. HAIs are infections that patients acquire when receiving healthcare treatment. At any given time, about 1 in 20 patients have an infection while receiving healthcare treatment in U.S. hospitals. HAIs in hospitals alone result in up to $33 billion in excess medical costs every year. Despite these staggering statistics, these infections are preventable and comprehensive programs are needed to make progress toward the goal of eliminating them.

State health agencies have a central role to play in HAI elimination because they are responsible for protection of patients across the healthcare system and serve as a bridge between healthcare and the community. The purpose of this toolkit is to provide guidance to senior policy makers on various promising ways to use legal and policy interventions as tools in implementing a comprehensive HAI prevention program.

For questions about this toolkit or for additional information about the work ASTHO and CDC are doing to help states eliminate HAI, please visit our websites or contact us at CDCInfo@cdc.gov.

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CDC - Policy Toolkit for HAI prevention - HAI