Hospital-acquired infections are rising – here’s how to protect yourself in health care settings

Whether a patient or visitor, hand hygiene while at the hospital is critical. Luis Alvarez/Digital Vision via Getty Images

A new study from the National Institutes of Health shows a jump in both hospital-acquired infections and resistance to the antibiotics used to treat them. The findings are based on data gathered at 120 U.S. hospitals from January 2018 to December 2022, a five-year period that included the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Nasia Safdar, a professor of infectious medicine at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, discusses why infection rates have gone up and how you can protect yourself as a hospital patient or visiting family member.

Nasia Safdar discusses the dangers of hospital-acquired infections.