Preventing Hospital-Acquired Infections Through Surveillance
Author Information
Author(s): Robert Gaynes, Chesley Richards, Jonathan Edwards, T. Grace Emori, Teresa Horan, Juan Alonso-Echanove, Scott Fridkin, Rachel Lawton, Gloria Peavy, James Tolson, National Nosocomial Infections Surveillance (NNIS) System Hospitals
Primary Institution: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Hypothesis
Feeding back information on hospital-acquired infections can reduce and prevent them.
Conclusion
The NNIS system has demonstrated that effective surveillance and feedback can lead to significant reductions in hospital-acquired infection rates.
Supporting Evidence
- Hospital-acquired infections affect approximately 2 million persons each year.
- From 1990 through 1999, decreases in risk-adjusted infection rates occurred at all monitored body sites in ICUs.
- NNIS hospitals with strong surveillance and prevention programs had the lowest nosocomial infection rates.
Takeaway
Hospitals can lower the number of infections patients get while staying in the hospital by keeping track of infection rates and sharing that information with doctors and nurses.
Methodology
The study involved monitoring hospital-acquired infections through the NNIS system, which included data collection from 285 hospitals and analysis of infection rates.
Potential Biases
There is a risk of underreporting infections, which could affect the accuracy of the data collected.
Limitations
The study faced challenges in accurately reporting infections and potential underreporting due to the reliance on self-reported data.
Participant Demographics
Hospitals participating in the NNIS system had more than 100 beds and were located in 42 states.
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