Healthcare Associated Infection Surveillance

Patients should never have to worry about getting an infection while in hospital. Yet every year, many people hospitalized in Canada continue to acquire an infection during their hospital stay and experience increased morbidity and mortality as a result of these healthcare-associated infections (HAIs).

Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), or infections acquired in a healthcare setting, are the most frequently reported adverse events in healthcare delivery worldwide. Each year, hundreds of millions of patients are affected by HAIs, leading to significant morbidity, mortality and financial cost to healthcare systems.

In November 2014, the Canadian Patient Safety Institute (CPSI) (now Healthcare Excellence Canada) and Public Health Agency of Canada hosted a national infection prevention and control summit. More than 40 participants came together with the goal of advancing infection prevention and control practices and reducing HAIs in Canada. There was overwhelming consensus from stakeholders, including federal, provincial and territorial representatives, that consistency in the measurement and surveillance of HAIs is urgently needed to reduce the incidence and burden of preventable infections.

To support the consistency of surveillance practices, please refer to the links below for standardized case definitions and protocols for acute and long-term care.   

• Acute care: The Canadian Nosocomial Infection Surveillance Program (CNISP) Publications  
• Long-term care: - Pan-Canadian Healthcare Infection Surveillance Definition Standardization Project: Long Term Care Infection Surveillance Definitions and the Long‐Term Care Surveillance Toolkit