Healthcare-Associated Infection (HAI)

is acquired by patients while receiving care and represents the most frequent adverse event. However, the global burden remains unknown because of the difficulty to gather reliable data.

In many settings, from hospitals to ambulatory and long-term care, HAI appears to be a hidden, cross-cutting problem that no institution or country can claim to have solved yet. HAI surveillance is complex and requires the use of standardized criteria, availability of diagnostic facilities and expertise to conduct it and interpret the results. Surveillance systems for HAI exist in several high-income countries but are virtually nonexistent in most low- and middle-income countries. (World Health Organization. Patients Safety. Report on the Burden of Endemic Health Care-Associated Infection Worldwide 2011).

HAI are widely spread in every country of the world, lead to increased patients’ mortality and disablement, which means raising the expenses of their treatment and mitigation of consequences. HAIs are the most common work-related disorder among professionals.