A healthcare associated infection demands additional diagnoses and treatment, which may extend the hospital stay. In serious cases, the infection can lead to long term invalidity and even to the death of the patient. It often concerns vulnerable and/or very ill patients for whom the additional healthcare associated infection was too much to take. Additionally, healthcare associated infections cause an augmentation of healthcare costs for both the patient and the society.
A survey by the Belgian Federal Knowledge Centre for Public Health (KCE) shows that healthcare associated infections in Belgium are responsible for 720 757 extra days of hospitalisation, 384.3 million EUR extra healthcare costs, and 2625 extra casualties every year.