Prevention's National Healthcare Research Articles

Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections Attributed to Yeast Reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Healthcare Safety Network, 2014

Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections Attributed to Yeast Reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Healthcare Safety Network, 2014

Risk Adjustment for Determining Surgical Site Infection in Colon Surgery: Are All Models Created Equal?

Colon surgical site infections (SSIs) are being utilized increasingly as a quality measure for hospital reimbursement and public reporting. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) now require reporting of colon SSI, which is entered through the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN). However, the CMS's model for determining expected SSIs uses different risk adjustment variables than does NHSN. We hypothesize that CMS's colon SSI model will predict lower expected infection rates than will NHSN. Colon SSI data were reported prospectively to NHSN from 2012-2014 for the six Fairview Hospitals (1,789 colon procedures). We compared expected quarterly SSIs and standardized infection ratios (SIRs) generated by CMS's risk-adjustment model (age and American Society of Anesthesiologist [ASA] classification) vs. NHSN's (age, ASA classification, procedure duration, endoscope [including laparoscope] use, medical school affiliation, hospital bed number, and incision class). The patients with more complex colon SSIs were more likely to be male (60% vs. 44%; p = 0.011), to have contaminated/dirty incisions (21% vs. 10%; p = 0.005), and to have longer operations (235 min vs. 156 min; p < 0.001) and were more likely to be at a medical school-affiliated hospital (53% vs. 40%; p = 0.032). For Fairview Hospitals combined, CMS calculated a lower number of expected quarterly SSIs than did the NHSN (4.58 vs. 5.09 SSIs/quarter; p = 0.002). This difference persisted in a university hospital (727 procedures; 2.08 vs. 2.33; p = 0.002) and a smaller, community-based hospital (565 procedures; 1.31 vs. 1.42; p = 0.002). There were two quarters in which CMS identified Fairview's SIR as an outlier for complex colon SSIs (p = 0.05 and 0.04), whereas NHSN did not (p = 0.06 and 0.06). The CMS's current risk-adjustment model using age and ASA classification predicts lower rates of expected colon SSIs than does NHSN. This may lead to financial penalties because of the use of limited risk factors. Further efforts at elucidating appropriate risk adjustment measures without unnecessarily burdening hospitals with expensive data collection are necessary.

Surgical Site Infection Rates in Four Cities in Brazil: Findings of the International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium.

There are no data on surgical site infection (SSI) rates stratified by surgical procedures (SPs) in Brazil, and our objective was to report such rates. From January 2005 to December 2010 we conducted a surveillance study on SSIs in four hospital members of the International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium (INICC) in four Brazilian cities. We applied the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Healthcare Safety Network's (CDC-NHSN's) surveillance methods. Surgical procedures were classified into following types following International Classification of Diseases (ICD-9) criteria. We recorded 349 SSIs, associated to 61,863 SPs (0.6%; [CI], 0.5-0.6). SSI rates per type of SP were compared with INICC and CDC-NHSN reports, respectively: 2.9% for cardiac surgery (vs. 5.6%, p = 0.001 vs. 1.3%, p = 0.001); 0.4% for cesarean section (vs. 0.7%, p = 0.001 vs. 1.8%, p = 0.001); 5.4% for craniotomy (vs. 4.4% p = 0.447 vs. 2.6% p = 0.005) and 1.1% for vaginal hysterectomy (vs. 2.0% p = 0.102 vs. 0.9% p = 0.499.) Our SSI rates were greater in two of the four analyzed types of SPs compared with CDC-NHSN, but similar to most INICC rates. These findings on the epidemiology of SSI in Brazil will enable us to introduce targeted interventions for infection control.

Promoting prevention through meaningful measures: Improving the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Healthcare Safety Network urinary tract infection surveillance definitions

The new year of 2015 brought with it the release of the update to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC's) National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) urinary tract infection (UTI) definitions. Although the NHSN UTI definitions were last updated in 2009, the inclusion of catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' Inpatient Quality Reporting Program in 2012 heightened the challenges to the definitions by many professionals involved in infection prevention. Feedback to the CDC beginning in 2012 highlighted the gap between clinical and surveillance determinations of CAUTI, 1 Al-Qas Hanna F. Sambirska O. Iyer S. Szpunar S. Fakih M.G. Clinician practice and the National Healthcare Safety Network definition for the diagnosis of catheter-associated urinary tract infection. Am J Infect Control. 2013; 41: 1173-1177 Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (31) Google Scholar raised questions about the clinical relevance of some CAUTIs reported to the NHSN, and drew attention to variability in the application of, and adherence to, the UTI surveillance criteria and differences in clinical laboratory practices relevant to the criteria. Many commenters questioned the validity and fairness of using CAUTI data for public reporting and payment purposes and called for definitions which would more accurately measure the success of CAUTI prevention activities.

Impact of up gradation of surveillance methodology in health care acquired infections (HAIs)

The International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium (INICC) is an international, nonprofit, multicentric health care–associated infection (HAI) cohort surveillance network with a methodology based on the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Healthcare Safety Network (CDC-NHSN). The INICC was founded in 1998 to promote evidence-based infection control in limited-resource countries through the analysis of surveillance data collected by their affiliated hospitals. The INICC is comprised of >3,000-affiliated infection control professionals from 1,000 hospitals in 67 countries and is the only source of aggregate standardized international data on HAI epidemiology. Having published reports on device-associated (DA) HAI (HAI) and surgical site infections (SSIs) from 43 countries and several reports per individual country, the INICC showed DA HAI and SSI rates in limited-resources countries are 3-5 times higher than in high-income countries.The INICC developed the INICC Multidimensional Approach (IMA) for HAI prevention with 6 components, bundles with 7-13 elements, and the INICC Surveillance Online System (ISOS) with 15 modules.In this article the IMA, the ISOS for outcome surveillance of HAIs and process surveillance of bundles to prevent HAIs, and the use of surveillance data feedback are described.Remarkable features of the IMA and ISOS are INICC's applying of the latest published CDC-NHSN HAI definitions, including their updates and revisions in 2008, 2013, 2015 and 2016; INICC's informatics system to check accuracy of fulfillment of CDC-NHSN HAI criteria; and INICC's system to check compliance with each bundle element.

Impact of urinary tract infection definitions on colorectal outcomes

BackgroundHospital-acquired urinary tract infections (UTIs) significantly impact hospital outcomes. Colorectal surgery is inherently high risk for postoperative infections including UTI, and these patients may have unique outcomes as compared to other medical and surgical hospitalizations. We aim to assess the impact of the differing definitions of UTI captured by our hospital quality measures on hospital charges, length of stay (LOS), and mortality after colorectal resections at our institution. Materials and MethodsExisting hospital quality surveillance was used to retrospectively identify postcolorectal resection UTI, as defined by the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN)–defined catheter-associated UTIs (CAUTI), from 2006–2012. Both groups were compared to colorectal resections performed during the same period that did not develop a UTI. Groups were compared for differences in 30-d surgical outcomes with multivariate analysis of total hospital charges and LOS. ResultsDuring our study period, we identified 18 CAUTIs and 42 NSQIP-UTI, and 1064 other colorectal resections (UTI rate, 5.3%). Our overall mortality rate was 4.4% and was not associated with CAUTI or NSQIP-UTI on univariate analysis. CAUTI, but not NSQIP-UTI, was associated with a 73% increase in LOS and 70% increase in total hospital charges on multivariate analysis. ConclusionsBy reviewing quality outcomes surveillance modalities at our hospital, we identified postcolorectal resection CAUTI, but not NSQIP-UTI, to be associated with increased total hospital charges and LOS. Neither was associated with mortality.

Surgical site infection risk factors and risk stratification.

Preoperative identification of the risk factors for surgical site infection and patient risk stratification are essential for deciding whether surgery is appropriate, educating patients on their individual risk of complications, and managing postoperative expectations. Early identification of these factors is also necessary to help guide both patient medical optimization and perioperative care planning. Several resources are currently available to track and analyze healthcare-associated infections, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Healthcare Safety Network. In addition, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons are exploring collaborative opportunities for the codevelopment of a hip and/or knee arthroplasty national quality measure for periprosthetic joint infection.

Health care-associated infections among critically ill children in the US, 2007-2012.

Health care-associated infections (HAIs) are harmful and costly and can result in substantial morbidity for hospitalized children; however, little is known about national trends in HAIs in neonatal and pediatric populations. Our objective was to determine the incidence of HAIs among a large sample of hospitals in the United States caring for critically ill children from 2007 to 2012. In this cohort study, we included NICUs and PICUs located in hospitals reporting data to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Healthcare Safety Network for central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs), ventilator-associated pneumonias, and catheter-associated urinary tract infections. We used a time-series design to evaluate changes in HAI rates. A total of 173 US hospitals provided data from NICUs, and 64 provided data from PICUs. From 2007 to 2012, rates of CLABSIs decreased in NICUs from 4.9 to 1.5 per 1000 central-line days (incidence rate ratio (IRR) per quarter = 0.96, 95% confidence interval 0.94-0.97) and in PICUs from 4.7 to 1.0 per 1000 central-line days (IRR per quarter = 0.96 [0.94-0.98]). Rates of ventilator-associated pneumonias decreased in NICUs from 1.6 to 0.6 per 1000 ventilator days (IRR per quarter = 0.97 [0.93-0.99]) and PICUs from 1.9 to 0.7 per 1000 ventilator-days (IRR per quarter = 0.95 [0.92-0.98]). Rates of catheter-associated urinary tract infections did not change significantly in PICUs. Between 2007 and 2012 there were substantial reductions in HAIs among hospitalized neonates and children.

Surgical site infection rates in four Mexican cities: findings of the International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium (INICC).

From January 2005 to December 2010, we conducted a prospective cohort surveillance study on surgical site infections (SSIs) in five hospitals, all of which were members of the International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium (INICC) in four cities in Mexico. Data were recorded from hospitalized patients using the methods and definitions of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Healthcare Safety Network (CDC-NHSN) for SSIs. Surgical procedures (SPs) were classified into 11 types according to the ICD-9 criteria. We documented 312 SSIs, associated with 5063 SPs (5.5%; CI, 5.5-6.9). SSI rates per type of SP in these Mexican hospitals compared with the INICC and CDC-NHSN reports, respectively, include: 18.4% for ventricular shunt (vs. 12.9% vs. 5.6%); 10% for spleen surgery (vs. 5.6% vs. 2.3%); 7.3% for cardiac surgery (vs. 5.6% vs. 1.3%); 6.4% for open reduction of fracture (vs. 4.2% vs. 1.7%); 5.2% for exploratory abdominal surgery (vs. 4.1% vs. 2.0%), and 5.1% for hip prosthesis (vs. 2.6% vs. 1.3%). Compared with the CDC-NHSN, our SSIs rates were higher in 73% and similar in 27% of the analyzed types of SPs, whereas compared with INICC, rates were similar in 55% and higher in 45% of SPs. There are no data on SSI rates by surgical procedure in Mexico. Therefore, this paper represents an important advance in the knowledge of epidemiology of SSIs in Mexico that will allow us to introduce targeted interventions. This study also demonstrates that the INICC is a valuable international benchmarking tool, in addition to the CDC-NSHN, the participating hospitals of which enjoy factual advantages.

Risk factors for catheter-associated urinary tract infection in Italian elderly

Catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) are the most common cause of hospital-acquired infections, especially in elderly patients. Data on CAUTIs in older persons in acute care settings are lacking, however. This study aimed to describe the epidemiology of CAUTIs and related outcomes (ie, length of stay and mortality), in patients admitted to an acute geriatric care hospital in central Italy. A CAUTI surveillance program was implemented from October 2011 to April 2012, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Healthcare Safety Network methodology. A total of 2773 patients aged ≥65 years were included in the study, and 483 catheterized patients were monitored for the risk of CAUTI. The catheterization rate was 16.7% (95% confidence interval [CI], 15.3%-18.2%), and the overall CAUTI incidence rate was 14.7/1000 device-days (95% CI, 11.7-18.3/1000). Mortality was significantly higher in catheterized patients with a CAUTI compared with noncatheterized patients (19.2% vs 10.5%; P < .05). Female sex (odds ratio [OR], 1.31; 95% CI, 1.06-1.67), increasing age (≥90 years: OR, 2.76; 95% CI, 2.00-3.83), and longer hospital stay before catheter insertion (≥15 days: OR, 2.90; 95% CI, 2.20-3.83) were independent risk factors for catheterization; increasing age (>90 years: OR, 2.75; 95% CI, 1.03-7.35), and duration of hospital stay before catheter insertion (OR, 2.41; 95% CI, 1.12-5.51) were associated with CAUTIs. These results underscore the importance of the proper choice of patients for catheterization, particularly in individuals aged >90 years.

Incidence and pathogen distribution of healthcare-associated infections in pilot hospitals in Egypt.

To report type and rates of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) as well as pathogen distribution and antimicrobial resistance patterns from a pilot HAI surveillance system in Egypt. Prospective surveillance was conducted from April 2011 through March 2012 in 46 intensive care units (ICUs) in Egypt. Definitions were adapted from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Healthcare Safety Network. Trained healthcare workers identified HAIs and recorded data on clinical symptoms and up to 4 pathogens. A convenience sample of clinical isolates was tested for antimicrobial resistance at a central reference laboratory. Multidrug resistance was defined by international consensus criteria. ICUs from 11 hospitals collected 90,515 patient-days of surveillance data. Of 472 HAIs identified, 47% were pneumonia, 22% were bloodstream infections, and 15% were urinary tract infections; case fatality among HAI case patients was 43%. The highest rate of device-associated infections was reported for ventilator-associated pneumonia (pooled mean rate, 7.47 cases per 1,000 ventilator-days). The most common pathogens reported were Acinetobacter species (21.8%) and Klebsiella species (18.4%). All Acinetobacter isolates tested (31/31) were multidrug resistant, and 71% (17/24) of Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates were extended-spectrum β-lactamase producers. Infection control priorities in Egypt should include preventing pneumonia and preventing infections due to antimicrobial-resistant pathogens.

Reduction and surveillance of device-associated infections in adult intensive care units at a Saudi Arabian hospital, 2004–2011

Device-associated infections (DAI) are recognized as a marker of patient safety. Data regarding DAI rates in Saudi Arabia are sparse. This was a prospective surveillance study of DAI rates conducted in the adult intensive care units of the Saudi Aramco Medical Services Organization, carried out using the DAI definition provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Healthcare Safety Network. DAI prevention bundles were introduced in 2006 for ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), in mid-2010 for catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI), and in 2008 for central line-associated blood stream infections (CLABSI). DAI rates for VAP, CLABSI, and CAUTI are reported for the study period from 2004 to 2011. CAUTI was the most common DAI (42.2%), followed by CLABSI (38.5%) and VAP (19.3%). The overall rate of each infection type per 1000 device-days was 8.18 for CAUTI, 10 for CLABSI, and 4.52 for VAP. Annual DAI rates showed a significant reduction over time from the beginning of the study to the end of the study for CLABSI (16.3 vs. 6.06), CAUTI (6.75 vs. 3.41), and VAP (9.8 vs. 1.3) (p<0.05). CAUTI was the most common infection, and the use of DAI prevention bundles was associated with a significant decrease in DAI rates over time.

Variations in Identification of Healthcare-Associated Infections

Little is known about whether those performing healthcare-associated infection (HAI) surveillance vary in their interpretations of HAI definitions developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN). Our primary objective was to characterize variations in these interpretations using clinical vignettes. We also describe predictors of variation in responses. Cross-sectional study. United States. A sample of US-based members of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) Research Network. Respondents assessed whether each of 6 clinical vignettes met criteria for an NHSN-defined HAI. Individual- and institutional-level data were also gathered. Surveys were distributed to 143 SHEA Research Network members from 126 hospitals. In total, 113 responses were obtained, representing at least 61 unique hospitals (30 respondents did not identify a hospital); 79.2% (84 of 106 nonmissing responses) were infection preventionists, and 79.4% (81 of 102 nonmissing responses) worked at academic hospitals. Among the 6 vignettes, the proportion of respondents correctly characterizing the vignettes was as low as 27.3%. Combining all 6 vignettes, the mean percentage of correct responses was 61.1% (95% confidence interval, 57.7%-63.8%). Percentage of correct responses was associated with presence of a clinical background (ie, nursing or physician degrees) but not with hospital size or infection prevention and control department characteristics. Substantial heterogeneity exists in the application of HAI definitions in this survey of infection preventionists and hospital epidemiologists. Our data suggest a need to better clarify these definitions, especially when comparing HAI rates across institutions.

Public Health Surveillance in the Dialysis Setting: Opportunities and Challenges for Using Electronic Health Records

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has conducted public health surveillance for healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) in dialysis facilities since the 1970s, evolving from facility-level surveys to patient-level surveillance systems. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently implemented incentives for all end-stage renal disease (ESRD) facilities to monitor and report patient-level quality indicators to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC's) National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) in accordance with the NHSN Dialysis Event Protocol. These CMS incentives have led to a rapid increase in dialysis facility NHSN enrollment during 2012. Ongoing challenges to HAI surveillance in this setting include variability in the surveillance process, assurance of data quality, and staff time and resource requirements. Use of existing electronic health records (EHR), especially in conjunction with detection algorithms, has increasingly been shown to produce valid and reliable estimates of HAI frequency in acute care hospitals. Given the large number of dialysis facilities that are now beginning to conduct surveillance using NHSN, the typical lack of dedicated infection prevention personnel in those facilities, and the widespread use of EHR in large dialysis provider organizations, the use of EHR will probably become a cornerstone of surveillance in these settings. Implemented properly, the use of EHR to support public health surveillance has enormous potential to focus and strengthen infection prevention activities in dialysis facilities. Systematic, ongoing validation efforts will be vital to ensure that reported data are accurate, permit valid comparisons of facility performance, and effectively support improved outcomes for dialysis patients.

Surgical Site Infection Following Spinal Instrumentation for Scoliosis

Surgical site infection following correction of pediatric scoliosis is well described. However, we are aware of no recent multicenter study describing the rates of surgical site infection, and associated pathogens, among patients with different etiologies for scoliosis. A multicenter, retrospective review of surgical site infections among pediatric patients undergoing spinal instrumentation to correct scoliosis was performed at three children's hospitals in the United States. Study subjects included all patients undergoing posterior spinal instrumentation from January 2006 to December 2008. Surgical site infections were defined according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Healthcare Safety Network case definition, with infections occurring within one year after surgery. Following the analysis of 1347 procedures performed in 946 patients, surgical site infection rates varied among procedures performed in patients with different scoliosis etiologies. Procedures performed in patients with neuromuscular scoliosis had the highest surgical site infection rates (9.2%), followed by those performed in patients with syndromic scoliosis (8.8%), those performed in patients with other scoliosis (8.4%), those performed in patients with congenital scoliosis (3.9%), and those performed in patients with idiopathic scoliosis (2.6%). Surgical site infection rates varied among procedures in patients undergoing primary spinal arthrodesis based on etiology, ranging from 1.2% (95% confidence interval, 0.1% to 1.3%) in patients with idiopathic scoliosis to 13.1% (95% confidence interval, 8.4% to 17.8%) in patients with neuromuscular scoliosis. Surgical site infection rates following primary and revision procedures were similar among patients with different etiologies. In distraction-based growing constructs, rates were significantly lower for lengthening procedures than for revision procedures (p = 0.012). Multivariate analysis demonstrated that non-idiopathic scoliosis and extension of instrumentation to the pelvis were risk factors for surgical site infections. The three most common pathogens were Staphylococcus aureus (25.0% [95% confidence interval, 17.8% to 32.2%]), coagulase-negative staphylococci (17.1% [95% confidence interval, 10.9% to 23.3%]), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (10.7% [95% confidence interval, 5.6% to 15.8%]). Overall, 46.5% (95% confidence interval, 35.5% to 57.5%) of surgical site infections contained at least one gram-negative organism; 97.0% (95% confidence interval, 90.8% to 100.0%) of these infections were in patients with non-idiopathic scoliosis. Surgical site infection rates were significantly higher following procedures in patients with non-idiopathic scoliosis (p < 0.001). Lengthening procedures had the lowest rate of surgical site infection among patients with early onset scoliosis who had undergone instrumentation with growing constructs. Gram-negative pathogens were common and were most common following procedures in patients with non-idiopathic scoliosis. These findings suggest a role for targeted perioperative antibiotic prophylaxis to prevent surgical site infection following pediatric scoliosis instrumentation procedures.

Comparison of 2 Clostridium difficile Surveillance Methods National Healthcare Safely Network's Laboratory-Identified Event Reporting Module versus Clinical Infection Surveillance

To determine whether the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) laboratory-identified (LabID) event reporting module for Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is an adequate proxy measure of clinical CDI for public reporting purposes by comparing the 2 surveillance methods. Validation study. Thirty New York State acute care hospitals. Six months of data were collected by 30 facilities using a clinical infection surveillance definition while also submitting the NHSN LabID event for CDI. The data sets were matched and compared to determine whether the assigned clinical case status matched the LabID case status. A subset of mismatches was evaluated further, and reasons for the mismatches were quantified. Infection rates determined using the 2 definitions were compared. A total of 3,301 CDI cases were reported. Analysis of the original data yielded a 67.3% (2,223/3,301) overall case status match. After review and validation, there was 81.3% (2,683/3,301) agreement. The most common reason for disagreement (54.9%) occurred because the symptom onset was less than 48 hours after admission but the positive specimen was collected on hospital day 4 or later. The NHSN LabID hospital onset rate was 29% higher than the corresponding clinical rate and was generally consistent across all hospitals. Use of the NHSN LabID event minimizes the burden of surveillance and standardizes the process. With a greater than 80% match between the NHSN LabID event data and the clinical infection surveillance data, the New York State Department of Health made the decision to use the NHSN LabID event CDI data for public reporting purposes.

Health care-associated infections studies project: An American Journal of Infection Control and National Healthcare Safety Network data quality collaboration case study 7

Welcome to the seventh publication of a joint effort between the American Journal of Infection Control and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN). This collaboration is a series of case studies representing surveillance scenarios faced everyday by infection preventionists (IPs) using NHSN definitions.

Statewide one‐day survey of central lines

PurposeThis paper aims to determine whether the rank order of hospitals changes when their central line‐associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) rate is computed using a traditional proxy measure for the denominator (number of patients with one or more catheter in place) versus using the actual number of catheters or catheter‐lumens.Design/methodology/approachThe authors conducted a statewide voluntary one‐day prevalence survey among all hospitals participating in Washington State's mandatory public reporting program. Hospitals counted the number of catheters and catheter‐lumens as well as patients with catheters. Counts of patients with one or more catheter in place, of catheters, and of catheter‐lumens were extracted from each hospital's completed survey form and transformed into a ratio. Three CLABSI incidence density rates were computed for each hospital by scaling their annual CLABSI rate in the previous calendar year by the ratio of patients to catheters to catheter‐lumens. Influence of these three different denominators on rank order of the hospitals was assessed by scaling the corresponding Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Healthcare Safety Network incidence density rates for each participating hospital and examining position shifts with the Wilcoxon signed rank test.FindingsStatistically significant but only modest shifts in position became evident, which did not correlate with service complexity characteristics of the hospitals affected.Originality/valueOthers have shown that the CLABSI incidence density rate in a single hospital is significantly affected by switching from a traditional proxy measure denominator to a more meaningful denominator. This is the first report on whether all hospitals' rates would be affected in a uniform or a non‐uniform manner if a different denominator were to be selected by mandatory public reporting programs.

Health care-associated infections studies project: An American Journal of Infection Control and National Healthcare Safety Network data quality collaboration case study 8

Welcome to the eighth publication of a joint effort between the American Journal of Infection Control and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN). This collaboration is a series of case studies representing surveillance scenarios faced everyday by infection preventionists (IPs) using NHSN definitions.

Challenges in Adherence with National Healthcare Safety Network Definitions: A Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infection Conundrum

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) has standardized definitions for healthcare-associated infections including central line associated-bloodstream infections (CLABSI) and pneumonia (PNU). In conjunction with the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the State of Illinois requires hospitals to report CLABSIs using NHSN. Last year, Illinois began conducting audits of CLABSI data to validate adherence with NHSN definitions. Adherence with these definitions may not always concur with clinical diagnoses.