The concept of vulnerability applied to Healthcare-associated Infections.

Objective: To discuss the potentialities of using the concept of vulnerability to support measures for preventing and controlling healthcare-associated infections (HAIs).

Methods: This theoretical study was conducted in steps: 1) presentation of markers that frame the concept of vulnerability; 2) presentation of the characteristics of the health events to which the concept of vulnerability is intended to be applied; 3) identification of research gaps that could be potentially filled by using the concept of vulnerability; 4) identification of the potentialities of using the concept of vulnerability to deal with HAIs.

Results: Proposal of a framework for analyzing HAIs from a vulnerability perspective, including the individual and collective dimensions.

Conclusion: Using the concept of vulnerability to study and deal with HAIs favors a new approach to an old problem, unlike the dominant studies that highlight the individual aspects of the practices in healthcare services.