Every other day bathing with chlorhexidine gluconate: what is the evidence?

Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) cause considerable morbidity, mortality and medical costs (1-3). Annually in the United States, approximately 722,000 people develop an HAI and 75,000 die (2). A cost analysis by Zimlichman et al., examining five major HAIs, found that HAIs cost the United States healthcare system $9.8 billion annually (1). A large proportion of HAIs are considered preventable and there is a substantial body of evidence-based interventions available for implementation (4,5). However, a gap continues to exist in the translation of evidence into practice for HAI prevention (6). Many interventions for HAI prevention are complex, behavioral interventions which are challenging to implement and sustain with high fidelity.