• Thomas J Sandora.
• Division of Infectious Diseases, Departments of Medicine and Laboratory Medicine, Children's Hospital Boston, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA. thomas.sandora@childrens.harvard.edu
• Curr. Opin. Infect. Dis. 2010 Aug 1;23(4):300-5.

Purpose Of ReviewAttention to patient safety has made hospital infection prevention and control strategies a subject of increasing focus from healthcare personnel, patients and families, accrediting organizations, and government. This review highlights recent literature and new successes in the prevention of healthcare-associated infections in children.Recent FindingsEmerging evidence about risk factors for various healthcare-associated infections in children will help target available adjunctive preventive interventions. Multicenter pediatric collaborative efforts to emphasize best practices have resulted in decreases in infection rates, particularly for central line-associated bloodstream infections. A low prevalence of colonization or infection with multidrug-resistant organisms in hospitalized children, combined with a lack of compelling evidence of effectiveness for active surveillance and decolonization, have made decisions about routine screening challenging.SummaryA renewed interest in infection prevention by multiple stakeholders has energized our field and contributed to impressive successes in reducing rates of healthcare-associated infections. Nevertheless, important knowledge gaps remain and an emphasis on funding of high-quality, rigorous studies to answer unresolved questions will be critical to our efforts to further prevent infections for hospitalized children.

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