Health care-associated infections (HAIs) are largely attributed to the use of increasingly invasive devices and products; widespread use of respiratory support equipment; and the indiscriminate use of broad-spectrum antimicrobials, which has increased the incidence of nosocomial infections caused by organisms such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE). The number of fungal infections resulting from Candida also is increasing. On any given day, approximately one in 25 US patients has at least one infection contracted during the course of their hospital care, demonstrating the need for improved infection control in US health care facilities.
According to the results of the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention’s (CDC's) HAI Prevalence Survey, which appeared in the...