AHRQ Awards $34 Million to Fight Health Care–Associated Infections - November 8, 2011

On Nov. 2, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS’) Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) announced that it has awarded $34 million in grants and contracts to hospitals, academic medical institutions and health care research organizations to expand the fight against health care–associated infections (HAIs).

The money will fund projects including the development of new Comprehensive Unit-based Safety Program (CUSP) modules, which specifically target catheter-associated urinary tract infections, surgical site infections and ventilator-associated pneumonia. Other projects include researching new ways to fight infections, redesigning health care facilities to reduce HAIs and aligning work system factors to sustain successful HAI reduction efforts.

The newly funded projects and programs will also help achieve the goals of HHS’ Partnership for Patients initiative, which aims to promote patient safety and reduce hospital readmissions while reducing the cost of care. More information on health care–associated infections and AHRQ’s initiatives can be found online.