Measuring Healthcare-Associated Infection Outcomes: Enhanced Surveillance to Include Process Adherence for Quality Improvement.

Abstract

To prevent healthcare-associated infections, there are a range of clinical practices that should be followed. For example, appropriate administration of prophylactic antibiotics [process] is essential to reduce risks of surgical site infections post-operatively [outcome]. Monitoring adherence to these processes provides insights into potential causes of infection. The Victorian Healthcare Associated Infection Surveillance System (VICNISS) captures process data in the same system as outcome data, thereby providing integrated data to support quality improvement within healthcare and reduce the burden of healthcare-associated infections.