ObjectiveTo survey the current situation of healthcareassociated infection (HAI)in psychiatric inpatients in a general hospital, analyze related factors for infection, and take preventive measures to reduce HAI rate.MethodsMedical records of 5 432 psychiatric patients in a hospital from January 1, 2009 to December 31, 2011 were analyzed retrospectively.ResultsOf 5 432 patients, 438 developed 514 times of HAI, HAI rate and case rate was 8.06% and 9.46% respectively; the major infection site was upper respiratory tract (68.29%),followed by lower respiratory tract(12.06%) and gastrointestinal tract(9.92%).The differences in HAI rates among patients with different primary diseases were statistically different（χ2=102.29，P＜0.001）, HAI rate was highest in alcoholic psychiatric patients(23.40%);with regard to season, HAI rate and case rate was highest in winter season, which was 11.82%（151 cases） and 14.02%（179 times）respectively, upper respiratory tract infection in winter accounted for 40.74%（143/351） of total upper respiratory tract infection;the difference in HAI rate in patients receiving different management modes was statistically different （χ2=59.58，P＜0.001）,the highest infection rate was in the enclosed management male ward (12.83%).ConclusionHAI rate in psychiatric patients in general hospital is high, in order to reduce the occurrence of HAI, proper measures should be taken according to the change in seasons, the susceptibility in primary diseases, and different management modes.