Colorado Hospital-Acquired Infections Data Now Available
Online
June 30, 2008 - DENVER - The Colorado Department
of Public Health and Environment today released the first
Health Facility Acquired Infections Bulletin. The bulletin
contains hospital-specific infection rates for central line
associated bloodstream infections occurring in adult
intensive care units. A central line is an intravascular
catheter that terminates at or close to the heart or in one
of the great vessels, and can be used to infuse fluids or
draw blood in patients.
The bulletin displays the first six months of data
collected from the new reporting system implemented on July
31, 2007. “This information can help consumers make informed
health decisions and lead to improved patient care at
Colorado hospitals,” said Ned Calonge, chief medical officer
of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
Colorado’s Hospital-Acquired Infections Disclosure Act
(House Bill 06-1045) was approved in June 2006.
Hospital-acquired infections are infections that occur
during or after treatment for a separate medical condition.
Although many hospitals collected and tracked infection data
before the law was implemented, the new reporting system
will ensure hospitals and other facility types are using the
same definitions and data constraints so the information can
be compared to national rates, according to Calonge.
This is the first report to contain data from the new
reporting system. Two more reports will be developed this
year. Another report concerning central line associated
bloodstream infections, focusing on newborns, will be
available this fall. The annual report will be published by
January 15, 2009, and will contain information on surgical
site infections and central line associated bloodstream
infections.
This bulletin and future reports are available online at
www.cdphe.state.co.us/hf/PatientSafety/HFAI/index.html.
For more information about this bulletin or patient
safety initiatives underway at the Colorado Department of
Public Health and Environment, please contact the Health
Facilities and Emergency Medical Services Division at
303-692-2800 or visit
www.healthfacilities.info.
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