Health Care–Associated Infections in Children

Health-care associated infections (HAI) result in significant morbidity, prolong hospitalization, increase health care costs, and contribute to patient deaths. Efforts to reduce the rates of HAI in children are often hampered by the lack of pediatric-specific research, lack of national pediatric-specific quality measures to guide prevention of surgical site infections, and the implementation of infection prevention practices validated only in adult populations. Foster and Sabella discuss HAI in children and the national quality improvement program needed to reduce HAI.