Hospital Acquired Infection Analysis

Purpose: The purpose of this presentation is to discuss the impact Hospital Acquired Infections (HAIs) have on a patient’s length of stay and the financial strain patients and their families incur for the treatment of these infections.

Intended audience: My intended audience for this presentation are healthcare workers in the acute care setting.

Significance: The topic of Hospital Acquired Infections (HAIs) is important for all healthcare worker to understand the care they provide to patients can be directly associated with these infections. Healthcare workers must realize the impact these unexpected infections have on a patient’s health and financial wellbeing.

Presentation Plan

I. Introduction:

a) Attention-getting opening: Did

you know Hospital Acquired Infections are one of the most common and expensive adverse events in healthcare? These unintended infections are also the most common cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 2010).
b) Thesis statement: Research has demonstrated Hospital Acquired Infections (HAIs) may cause unexpected life-threatening illness and undue financial strain for patients and their families by significantly increasing hospital length of stay and the cost of treatment for these infections.
c) Preview of main points:
a. Hospital Acquired Infections may cause unexpected life-threatening illness resulting in increased length of hospital stay for the patient.
b. The cost to treatment HAIs can add additional financial strain for patients and their families.

II. Main Point 1: The cost to treat HAIs can add additional financial strain for patients and their families.

a) Annual costs for the five major HAIs were $9.8 billion for the United States (The Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics & Policy, 2013).
b) Average additional cost to patients ranged from $1,000-$46,000. This would roughly equal $1,100 per patient (Becker’s Hospital Review, 2015).
c) HAIs lead to considerable financial burden and even bankruptcy for many patients and their families, as well as costs for medical malpractice cases and hospital liability (Becker’s Hospital Review, 2015).

III. Main Point 2: HAIs may increase a patient’s length of stay.

a) HAIs are one of the most common sources of preventable harm; at least 50% are preventable (JAMA Internal Medicine, 2013).
b) The most common causes of HAI-related increases in hospital stay are septicemia, adult respiratory failure and complications of surgical procedures or medical care, followed by Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections (CAUTI) and Clostridium difficile (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 2010).

c) On average, hospital stays with infection due to medical care were 19.2 days longer than stays without infections. The average length of stay for a patient without a hospital-acquired infection was five days compared to twenty-four days for a patient with a hospital-acquired infection (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 2010).

IV. Conclusion:

a) Restatement of thesis: Hospital Acquired Infections (HAIs) may cause unexpected life-threatening illness and undue financial strain for patients and their families by significantly increasing hospital length of stay and the cost of treatment for these infections.

b) Summary of main points:

i. HAIs are the most preventable form of patient harm.

ii. HAIs financially affect patients and their families both directly and indirectly.

c) Closing comments:

i. Healthcare workers have the opportunity to help reduce the likelihood of patients receiving a Hospital Acquired Infection during their

hospitalization.
ii. Prevention of HAIs will benefit patients by reducing the risk of unintended harm, thereby reducing their hospital stay and decreasing the financial burden on our patients and their families.

Scripted Audience Questions

Question #1: How can healthcare workers help prevent HAIs?
(Understanding the chain of infection, ways to break the chain – specifically handwashing) find resources

Question #2: Does the patient’s medical insurance cover the additional cost?
(If the patient has insurance, the insurance company may deny claims associated with HAI’s. The hospital may, in turn, charge the patient or spread the cost out to future patients by increasing the cost of services. Even if the patient does not see the expense immediately, the charges may appear later as an overall increase in their deductibles. The most common and immediate financial burden is lost wages due to taking additional time off from work to recover or a family member having to take time off from work to care for the patient.) Find resources

Question #3: Who monitors these infections? How are healthcare facilities held accountable?
(CDC – reporting requirements – penalties for frequent / recurrent infections) Find resources