Control of health care-associated infections (HAI): winning both the battles and the war.

At present, the United States (US) experiences its greatest life expectancy due mainly to improvements in mortality from cardiovascular diseases, which include coronary heart disease and stroke. These, in turn, are due largely to decreases in cigarette smoking as well as earlier and more aggressive diagnoses and treatments. These advances in health care delivery are, not surprisingly, accompanied by increasing numbers of complicating health care-associated infections (HAI). HAIs are a major and increasing cause of morbidity and mortality in the US as well as around the world. To win both the battles and the war against HAI requires a multidisciplinary approach to the vigorous implementation and maintenance of proper infection control procedures. This should include continuous surveillance and reinforcement of guidelines to enhance evidence-based practices to prevent and control HAI. It will also be necessary to implement a new paradigm of early and formal education of future health care providers into the biology of infection as well as the principles of infection control in the classroom and subsequently, with translation into their clinical training. Finally, there must also be the incorporation and expansion of continuing medical education for established health care providers about prevention and control of HAI.