Healthcare-Acquired Infection Criteria

Definition and Timeframe

• The standard definition for healthcare-associated infections requires infections to develop >48 hours after hospital admission or within 7 days after discharge from hospital, as defined by infection control guidelines 1, 2, 3, 4
• The 7-day post-discharge window is consistently applied across infection control guidelines for determining healthcare association, according to the Journal of Infection 1, 2, 3
• Infections occurring beyond this timeframe are generally considered community-acquired unless there are other healthcare exposures, as stated in Clinical Microbiology and Infection 5

Broader Definition and Exceptions

• A broader definition of healthcare-associated infections exists, including recent hospitalization within 90 days, nursing facility residence, aggressive medical therapies at home within 30 days, and invasive outpatient therapies within 30 days, as defined by the World Journal of Emergency Surgery 6, 7, 8
• Ongoing home healthcare interventions, recent outpatient invasive procedures, or a surgical site infection related to prior hospitalization may be exceptions to the standard definition, according to the World Journal of Emergency Surgery 6, 7

Determining Infection Type

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention implies that infections developing outside the 7-day post-discharge window should be considered community-acquired, unless other healthcare exposures are present 1, 2, 5