The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published the 2019 National and State Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAI) Progress Report.
The report shows that the U.S. has continued to make significant reductions in several types of HAIs – notably, about an 18% decrease in hospital onset Clostridioides difficile (C. difficile) infections in acute care hospitals — and highlights areas where more improvements are needed. The national reductions show that HAI prevention is possible.
The 2019 Progress Report includes data from the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) on the following infections:
- Central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs)
- Catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs)
- Ventilator-associated events (VAEs)
- Surgical site infections (SSIs)
- Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bloodstream events
- C. difficile events
The report includes data across four healthcare settings: acute care hospitals, critical access hospitals, inpatient rehabilitation facilities, and long-term acute care hospitals. More than 36,000 active hospitals, nursing homes, and other healthcare facilities provide data to NHSN.
Nationally, among acute care hospitals between 2018 and 2019 highlights include:
- About 7% decrease in CLABSIs
- About 8% decrease in CAUTIs
- About 2% increase in VAEs
- No significant change in abdominal hysterectomy SSIs
- About 4% decrease in colon surgery SSIs
- No significant change in MRSA bacteremia
- About 18% decrease in C. difficile infections
Data for the HAI Progress Report are also available in CDC’s Antibiotic Resistance & Patient Safety Portal (AR&PSP), an interactive web-based application that was created to innovatively display data collected through CDC’s NHSN and other sources.
CDC’s HAI Progress Report is a snapshot of how each state and the country are doing in eliminating HAIs. While much progress has been made, this data points to areas for targeted action to prevent HAIs in a variety of settings. CDC is continuing to collaborate with public health, healthcare professionals, and other partners is critical to sustain continued progress in eliminating HAIs and ensure patient safety.
Read the full 2019 HAI Progress Report, including the executive summary, data tables, and technical appendix and frequently asked questions.
The NHSN Team: NHSN@cdc.gov | www.cdc.gov/nhsn