Healthcare Associated Infections Kill over 100,000 Elders and Frail Adults Each Year

Written by Adam Peck Category: Injury Law January 16th, 2013 2 min read

Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as “infections caused by a wide variety of common and unusual bacteria, fungi, and viruses during the course of receiving medical care,” were first observed in the acute hospital setting says California Elder Abuse Attorney Steven Peck.

As a result, these infections are commonly referred to as nosocomial infections, hospital-acquired infections, and hospital-onset infections throughout the medical literature; however, healthcare-associated infections is now the preferred term because these infections can occur in any healthcare setting. In the United States, there are approximately 1.7 million HAIs annually, resulting in over 100,000 deaths. These grim statistics highlight the seriousness of this issue.

Requirements for infection transmission include the presence of an infectious agent, a susceptible host, and a means of transmission. All of these requirements are met in nursing homes (NHs), and because the NH population is largely made up of elders, this population is at especially high risk of contracting HAIs and experiencing considerable morbidity and mortality following an infection.

The CDC and the Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee (HICPAC) acknowledge that exposure to environmental opportunistic pathogens or airborne pathogens in these settings can have serious consequences for healthcare workers and residents, especially those with compromised immune systems, such as frail elders. With an increasing number of individuals–many of whom have preexisting comorbidities that make them susceptible to infections–entering US long-term care (LTC) facilities each year, reducing this population’s exposure to environmental pathogens is imperative, especially because many pathogens are becoming increasingly resistant to available treatments. In the NH setting, environmental disinfection is a key component of the infection prevention and control process.

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Written by Adam Peck

Expertise: Personal Injury

Adam J. Peck, ESQ is a principal with Peck Law Group, APC. In 2008, Mr. Adam Peck received his Juris Doctorate from Whittier Law School where he graduated Cum Laude. His practice is primarily dedicated to representing Elders, Dependent Adults, along with their loved ones and family members, who have suffered horrific personal injuries.