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Health Care-Acquired Infections: Not Only a Clinical Burden. A Forensic Point of View.

BACKGROUND
Health care-acquired infections (HAIs) occur when patients receiving treatment in a health care setting develop an infection. They represent a major public health problem, requiring the integration of clinical medicine, pathology, epidemiology, laboratory sciences, and, finally, forensic medicine. Litigation and value of autopsy: The determination of cause of deaths is fundamental not only in the cases of presumed malpractice to ascertain the causal link with any negligent behavior both of health facilities and of individual professionals, but also for epidemiological purposes since it may help to know the global burden of HAIs, that remains undetermined because of the difficulty of gathering reliable diagnostic data. A complete methodological approach, integrating clinical data by means of autopsy and histological and laboratory findings aiming to identify and demonstrate the host response to infectious insult, is mandatory in HAIs related deaths.


ETHICAL ISSUES
Important tasks for forensic specialists in hospitals and health services centers are the promotion of transparency and open communication by health-care workers on the risk of HAIs, thus facilting patients' engagement and the implementation of educational interventions for professionals aimed to improve their kwnoledge and adherence to prevention and control measures.


CONCLUSIONS
HAIs are a major problem for patient safety in every health-care facility and system around the world and their control and prevention represent a challenging priority for health care instituition and workers committed to making health care safer. Clinicians are at the farefront in the war against HAIs, however also forensic pathologists have a remarkable role.