Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-mlc7c Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-09T12:52:23.210Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Basics of Surveillance—An Overview

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2015

Jean M. Pottinger  and
Trish M. Perl
Jean M. Pottinger
Affiliation:
Veterans' Administration Lakeside Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois
Trish M. Perl
Affiliation:
Johns Hopkins University and Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Surveillance of nosocomial infections is the foundation of an infection control program. This article describes components of a surveillance system, methods for surveillance, methods for case-finding, and data sources. We encourage the epidemiology team to use this background information as they design surveillance systems that meet the goals of their individual institution's infection control program.

Type
Practical Healthcare Epidemiology
Information
Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology , Volume 18 , Issue 7 , July 1997 , pp. 513 - 527
Copyright
Copyright © The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America 1997

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1. Haley, RW, Culver, DH, White, JW, et al. The efficacy of infection surveillance and control programs in preventing nosocomial infection in US hospitals. Am J Epidemiol 1985;121:182–205.Google Scholar
2. Ehrenkranz, NJ, Richter, EI, Phillips, PM, Shultz, JM. An apparent excess of operative site infections: analyses to evaluate false-positive diagnoses. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 1995;16:712–716.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
3. Garner, JS, Jarvis, WR, Emori, TG, Horan, TC, Hughes, JM. CDC definitions for nosocomial infections, 1988. Am J Infect Control 1988;16:128–140.Google Scholar
4. Horan, TC, Gaynes, RP, Martone, WJ, Jarvis, WR, Emori, TG. CDC definitions of nosocomial surgical site infections, 1992: a modification of CDC definitions of surgical wound infections. Am J Infect Control 1992;20:271–274.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
5. Haley, RW, Schaberg, DR, McClish, DK, et al. The accuracy of retrospective chart review in measuring nosocomial infection rates. Am J Epidemiol 1980;111:516–533.Google Scholar
6. Stratton, CW, Ratner, H, Johnston, PE, Schaffner, W. Focused microbiologic surveillance by specific hospital unit: practical application and clinical utility. Clin Ther 1993;15(suppl A):12–20.Google Scholar
7. Classen, DC, Evans, RS, Pestotnik, SL, Horn, SD, Menlove, RL, Burke, JP. The timing of prophylactic administration of antibiotics and the risk of surgical-wound infection. N Engl J Med 1992;326:281–286.Google Scholar
8. US Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. Outline for Surveillance and Control of Nosocomial Infections. Atlanta, GA: Centers for Disease Control; 1972.Google Scholar
9. US Department of Health and Human Services. Prevalence Survey for Nosocomial Infections. Atlanta, GA: Centers for Disease Control; 1980.Google Scholar
10. McGuckin, MB, Abrutyn, E. A surveillance method for early detection of nosocomial outbreaks. APIC J 1979;7:18–21.Google Scholar
11. Schifman, RB, Palmer, RA. Surveillance of nosocomial infections by computer analysis of positive culture rates. J Clin Microbiol 1985;21:493–495.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
12. Wenzel, RP, Osterman, CA, Hunting, KJ, Gwaltney, JM. Hospital-acquired infections, I: surveillance in a university hospital. Am J Epidemiol 1976;103:251–260.Google Scholar
13. Gross, PA, Beaugard, A, Van Antwerpen, C. Surveillance for nosocomial infections: can the sources of data be reduced? Infect Control 1980;1:233–236.Google Scholar
14. Glenister, H, Taylor, L, Bartlett, C, Cooke, M, Sedgwick, J, Leigh, D. An assessment of selective surveillance methods for detecting hospital-acquired infection. Am J Med 1991;91(suppl 3B):121S–124S.Google Scholar
15. Ford-Jones, EL, Mindorff, CM, Pollock, E, et al. Evaluation of a new method of detection of nosocomial infection in the pedi-atric intensive care unit: the infection control sentinel sheet system. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 1989;10:515–520.Google Scholar
16. Holtz, TH, Wenzel, RP. Postdischarge surveillance for nosoco-mial wound infection: a brief review and commentary. Am J Infect Control 1992;20:206–213.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
17. Nettleman, MD, Nelson, AP. Adverse occurrences during hospi-talization on a general medicine service. Clinical Performance and Quality Health Care 1994;2:67–72.Google Scholar
18. Emori, TG, Culver, DH, Horan, TC, et al. National Nosocomial Infections Surveillance (NNIS) System: description of surveillance methods. Am J Infect Control 1991;19:19–35.Google Scholar
19. Nosocomial infection rates for interhospital comparison: limitations and possible solutions. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 1991;12:609–621.Google Scholar
20. Garner, JS. Guideline for prevention of surgical wound infections, 1985. Am J Infect Control 1986;14:71–80.Google Scholar
21. Haley, RW, Culver, DH, Morgan, WM, White, JW, Emori, TG, Hooten, TM. Identifying patients at high risk of surgical wound infection. Am J Epidemiol 1985;121:205–215.Google Scholar
22. Culver, DH, Horan, TC, Gaynes, RP, et al. Surgical wound infection rates by wound class, operative procedure, and patient risk index. Am J Med 1991;91(suppl 3B):152S–157S.Google Scholar
23. Roy, MC, Herwaldt, LA, Embrey, R, Kuhns, K, Wenzel, RP, Perl, TM. Does the NNIS risk index (NRI) predict which patients develop wound infection (SWI) after cardiothoracic (CT) surgery? In: Program and abstracts of the 34th Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy; 10 4-7, 1994; Orlando, FL. Abstract 209.Google Scholar
24. Roy, MC, Herwaldt, LA, Embrey, R, Kuhns, K, Perl, TM. A 3-year wound surveillance study in cardiothoracic (CT) surgery. In: Program and abstracts of the 34th Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy; 10 4-7, 1994; Orlando, FL. Abstract J205.Google Scholar
25. Morales, E, Herwaldt, L, Embrey, R, et al. The epidemiology of saphenous vein harvest site wound infections (SVHSI) after cardiothoracic surgery. In: Program and abstracts of the 33rd Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy; 10 17-20, 1993; New Orleans, LA. Abstract 64.Google Scholar
26. Perl, TM. Surveillance, reporting, and use of computers. In: Wenzel, RP, ed. Prevention and Control of Nosocomial Infections. 2nd ed. Baltimore, MD: Williams & Wilkins; 1993.Google Scholar
27. Crossley, K, Johnson, J, Mudge, R, Crossley, L. An evaluation of autopsy review as a technique for infection control: a procedure of questionable value. Infect Control 1983;4:29–30.Google Scholar