Healthcare associated infections (HAI) are infections acquired during medical care in hospitals or other healthcare facilities. Some key points: - HAI affect around 10% of hospital patients and costs are doubled compared to patients without infections. Common sites of infection include urinary, surgical and pneumonia. - Risk factors for HAI include crowded hospital conditions, patients with compromised immune systems, increasing antibiotic resistance in bacteria. Procedures like catheterization and ventilation also increase risk. - HAI can be prevented through proper hand hygiene, sterilization of equipment, isolation of infected patients, and avoiding unnecessary medical procedures. Surveillance by infection control teams is also important to reduce infection rates.