The researchers used 2016 data from the National Inpatient Sample to perform cost-analysis of hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) in the United States. This is the largest U.S. inpatient database used in the study and represents one quarter of all hospitalizations in the U.S. They examined five major HAI types: Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI), surgical site infection (SSI), bloodstream infection, urinary tract infection, and ventilator-associated pneumonia. The study found that these infections had a collective burden of $7.2 billion to $14.9 billion in the U.S. with Clostridioides difficile and surgical site infections accounting for almost 80% of the total HAI cost. This article may be used as a source for discussing the cost-saving measures and initiatives in patient safety measures in the U.S.

Forrester, J. D., Maggio, P. M., & Tennakoon, L. (2022). Cost of health care–associated infections in the United States. Journal of Patient Safety , 18 (2), e477–e479. https://doi.org/10.1097/PTS.0000000000000845