A new study has found that hospital-acquired infections in the United States have declined significantly over the past eight years, marking an important improvement in patient safety and healthcare quality.

The study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, showed that the prevalence of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) fell from 3.2% in 2015 to 2.6% in 2023.

Researchers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) analysed data from 13,653 patients across 218 hospitals between May and September 2023 and compared the findings with a similar survey conducted in 2015 involving 12,299 patients from 199 hospitals.

The study found that 355 patients had at least one healthcare-associated infection in 2023, compared with 394 patients in 2015. After accounting for other risk factors, patients treated in hospitals that participated in both surveys were 27% less likely to develop a hospital-acquired infection in 2023 than in 2015.

Researchers also found that nearly 60% of healthcare-associated infections were not linked to medical devices or surgical procedures, suggesting that many infections continue to arise from other aspects of patient care.

Based on the survey findings, the researchers estimated that approximately 518,000 healthcare-associated infections occurred in U.S. hospitals in 2023.

Dr. Nora Chea of the CDC, who led the study, said the findings highlight the progress made in reducing hospital-acquired infections through strengthened infection prevention and control measures.

Commenting on the results, co-author Dr. Shelley S. Magill from the CDC described the decline as encouraging news for patient safety.

"This is good news for patient safety and healthcare quality. We're thankful for the public health and healthcare partners that helped drive this progress," she said.

Dr. Magill added that the CDC will continue working with healthcare providers and public health partners to strengthen infection prevention strategies and further reduce healthcare-associated infections across U.S. hospitals.

Healthcare-associated infections are infections that patients develop while receiving treatment in hospitals or other healthcare facilities. They remain a major cause of illness, prolonged hospital stays and increased healthcare costs worldwide, making infection prevention a key public health priority.