TOCSIN: a proposed dashboard of indicators to control healthcare-associated infections

Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) constitute a major safety problem. Healthcare managers need complete and valid information to fight against these infections. The purpose of this study was to develop a dashboard of indicators to help healthcare managers monitor HAIs. A pilot testing approach was used that was composed of the following steps: literature review, consultation with infection control experts and healthcare managers, operationalization of selected indicators, data collection from six Quebec hospital complexes to test the feasibility of the selected indicators and results dissemination. The literature review identified 299 possible indicators. After consulting infection control experts and healthcare managers and having collected data in the hospitals, a proposed dashboard was created that includes 97 indicators divided in three categories (structure, process and outcome) and grouped in 22 themes. The proposed indicators are both scientifically valid and administratively feasible. However, many healthcare facilities need additional financial resources and expertise to measure these indicators and manage the information they will generate.