The ESA Supports the Joint Call on Patient Safety and Healthcare-Associated Infection Prevention and Control

The European Sepsis Alliance is happy to support the Joint Call on Patient Safety and HAI Prevention and Control. A healthcare-associated infection (HAI) is an infection that occurs in a patient during the process of care in a hospital or healthcare facility, which was not present (or incubating) at the time of admission to said facility.

About 20% of sepsis cases can be attributed to HAIs – the remaining 80% are contracted outside of a healthcare facility. Therefore, preventing infections in hospitals is a crucial step to improve patient safety and decrease both sepsis cases and the overuse of antibiotics. Every infection prevented is an antibiotic treatment avoided.