Federal officials are seeking significant reductions in some of the most common health care-associated infections over the next 5 years.
In an “action plan” issued in January, Department of Health and Human Services officials outlined goals related to six categories of health care-associated infections: central line-associated bloodstream infections, Clostridium difficile infections, catheter-associated urinary tract infections, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections, surgical-site infections, and ventilator-associated pneumonia.
The seven national prevention targets identified in the plan call for:
▸ Reducing the number of central line-associated bloodstream infections per 1,000 device days to below the current 25th percentile set by the National Healthcare Safety Network by location type.
▸ Achieving full compliance with the central line bundle in nonemergent insertions.
▸ Reducing by 30% the case rate per patient days and administrative/discharge data for ICD-9-CM-coded C. difficile infections.
▸ Reducing the median deep-incision and organ-space infection rate for each procedure/risk group to at or below the current National Healthcare Safety Network 25th percentile.
▸ Reducing by 25% the number of symptomatic urinary tract infections per 1,000 urinary catheter days.
▸ Reducing by half the incidence rate of all health care-associated invasive MRSA infections.
▸ Achieving 95% adherence rates for each Surgical Care Improvement Project/National Quality Forum infection process measure for surgical-site infections.
Kathy Warye, CEO of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, said the goals are “reasonable.”
Dr. Patrick J. Brennan, chairman of the Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee, said it also addresses concerns about a lack of coordination among the federal agencies and departments that have some responsibility for health care-associated infections. Dr. Brennan served on the steering committee that prepared the report.
The plan is online at www.hhs.gov/ophs/initiatives/hai