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Infection control indicators in critical care settings
1Outcomes Research and Development, Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, Oakbrook Terrace, IL 60181.
Heart & Lung : the Journal of Critical Care
|September 1, 1992
Summary
The Joint Commission is testing eight infection control indicators to monitor healthcare-associated infections and improve patient safety. Tracking these rates helps identify areas for enhanced care in critical settings.
Area of Science:
- Healthcare quality improvement
- Infection control surveillance
Background:
- Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) pose significant risks to patient safety.
- Standardized metrics are crucial for monitoring and improving infection control practices.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce and evaluate eight novel infection control indicators developed by The Joint Commission.
- To assess the utility of these indicators in identifying areas for improvement in hospital care.
Main Methods:
- Development and testing of eight specific infection control indicators.
- Implementation in hundreds of hospitals for data collection and trend analysis.
Main Results:
- The indicator set covers key areas: surgical site infections, pneumonia, catheter-associated infections, bloodstream infections, endometritis, surveillance adequacy, and immunization.
- Analysis of trend rates is expected to highlight systemic issues in critical care.
Conclusions:
- The tested indicators provide a framework for monitoring infection control performance.
- Utilizing these indicators can guide quality improvement initiatives in critical care settings.