CDC definitions for nosocomial infections, 1988

Area of Science:

• Infectious Diseases
• Public Health Surveillance
• Clinical Microbiology

Background:

• Nosocomial infections pose a significant threat to patient safety and healthcare costs.
• Existing surveillance methods lacked standardized, updated criteria for accurate tracking.
• Advances in diagnostic technology necessitated revised definitions for infection detection.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and implement revised, algorithm-based definitions for nosocomial infection surveillance.
• To incorporate recent diagnostic advancements into infection criteria.
• To provide specific guidelines for neonates, infants, and older individuals.

Main Methods:

• Development of algorithmic definitions combining clinical findings with laboratory and diagnostic test results.
• Inclusion of specific criteria for different age groups (neonates, infants, older persons).
• Iterative refinement of definitions based on feedback from the National Nosocomial Infections Surveillance System (NNIS) participants.

Main Results:

• Implementation of new CDC definitions for nosocomial infections in NNIS hospitals starting January 1988.
• The definitions cover both common and serious, infrequent hospital-acquired infections.
• The revised criteria aim to improve the precision and consistency of surveillance data.

Conclusions:

• The new CDC definitions provide a standardized framework for monitoring nosocomial infections.
• These definitions leverage current diagnostic capabilities for more effective surveillance.
• Hospitals are encouraged to adopt or adapt these definitions for their surveillance programs.