Research

Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) cause sickness and death among thousands of patients treated in U.S. healthcare institutions and add billions of dollars to healthcare costs each year. Activities designed to improve prevention practices in healthcare settings have advanced the understanding of how to prevent certain HAIs. However, existing prevention strategies are limited by the current state of science, and thus cannot prevent all HAIs even when fully implemented. CDC is committed to invest in ongoing HAI prevention research as a critical step to prevent and eliminate HAIs.

Prevention Epicenters program

CDC’s Prevention Epicenters Program is a collaboration of academic medical centers that conduct innovative infection control and prevention research. To learn more, visit: Prevention Epicenters Program

Environmental Hygiene

Recent studies have shown that surfaces in the patient’s room such as bedrails, bedside tables and call buttons may play a role in the transmission of disease. Read more about CDC’s research agenda at:Environmental Hygiene in Healthcare.

Laboratory research

CDC conducts a variety of laboratory research studies to improve rapid identification of emerging threats and implement effective measures to prevent HAIs. For more lab resources, visit Laboratory Resources.