 What does outcome surveillance mean?
It is defined as the collection, measurement, analysis and report of nosocomial infection rates and their consequences, which include
 Global infection rate per discharged patient and per 1000 bed days,
Bloodstream infection rate per 1000 central vascular catheter days,
Pneumonia rate per 1000 mechanical ventilator use days,
Urinary tract infection rate per 1000 urinary catheter days
MMortality attributable to infections,
Extra length of hospitalization,
Cost attributable to infections,
Microbiological profile,
Bacterial resistance,
Antibiotics consumption.
Basic guidelines in Epidemiology should include the above-mentioned variables in order to plan interventions based on specific objectives.
Outcome surveillance of device-associated infections (DAIs) has become an integral feature of infection control and quality assurance, because it provides the possibility of a more accurate risk assignment.
Outcome surveillance allows the infection control practitioner to analyze infection rates and benchmark them against international standards; in turn, it allows the study of cases and controls in order to determine risk factors and match patients to discover extra mortality and costs.
It is also useful to evaluate the cost effectiveness of infection control interventions. |
