Posted on April 27, 2012
Tennessee is one of 21 states that has experienced a significant decrease in central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI) during the most recent reporting period, according to a report released last week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN). THA sent a news release to members and the media regarding the report this week.
The report also recognized the state and its hospitals for exemplary efforts to make certain infections data is accurately reported."Tennessee and Colorado are two states that have gone the extra mile to ensure the accuracy of infection data reported by their hospitals," the CDC reported.
The CDC said health departments in the two states initiated validation projects to uncover any discrepancies in infection surveillance that might lead to inaccurate reporting of infections. Team members from the health departments visited hospitals to review medical charts, speak with data collectors and get feedback from infection preventionists.
"Hospitals in our state recognized early that there is a direct correlation between accurate identification, reporting and reduction of infections," said Craig Becker, president and chief executive officer of the Tennessee Hospital Association (THA), which, along with the BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee Health Foundation, established the Tennessee Center for Patient Safety five years ago.
"THA took a leadership role in encouraging legislation that formalized infection reporting procedures, and we are proud the efforts of our hospitals and the Tennessee Health Department have been singled out by the CDC in this way. With the support of the BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee Health Foundation, the Tennessee Center for Patient Safety has become a model for the rest of the country."
In 2006, THA supported and the Tennessee General Assembly passed a law directing the Tennessee Department of Health to begin collecting and reporting data related to the frequency of central line-associated blood stream infections in hospital intensive care units (ICU).
Changes in central line-associated bloodstream infections represent an important measure of hospital quality and patient safety. A central line is a catheter or tube that is placed in a major blood vein close to or leading directly to the heart, such as the neck, chest, arm or groin. Central lines are used to give fluids, medications and/or draw blood. View the entire CDC NHSN report at http://www.cdc.gov/hai/surveillance/nhsn_statereports.html.
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