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Surveillance of Hospital-Acquired Infection in England, Germany, and The Netherlands Will International Comparison of Rates Be Possible?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2015

Rosa Coello ,
Petra Gastmeier  and
Annette S. de Boer
Rosa Coello*
Affiliation:
Nosocomial Infection Surveillance Unit, PHLS Central Public Health Laboratory, London, UK
Petra Gastmeier
Affiliation:
Institut für Hygiene, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany
Annette S. de Boer
Affiliation:
Department of Infectious Diseases Epidemiology, National Institute of Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, and the Dutch Institute for Healthcare Improvement, Utrecht, The Netherlands
*
Nosocomial Infection Surveillance Unit, PHLS Central Public Health Laboratory, 61 Colindale Ave, London, NW9 5HT, UK
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Abstract

Three national surveillance systems for nosocomial infection have been developed independently and implemented successfully in England, Germany, and The Netherlands. All three are based on the American National Nosocomial Infections Surveillance System and have adopted a surveillance strategy that is targeted at specific infections or groups of patients for limited time periods. Case-finding methods, the minimum data set, and analysis of data are similar and could be standardized easily. Resolution of the differences in the definitions of infection, the study population, and follow-up should make possible the international comparison of infection rates. Such comparisons may identify differences in healthcare practices between countries and suggest areas for improvement.

Type
Reader's Forum
Information
Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology , Volume 22 , Issue 6 , June 2001 , pp. 393 - 397
Copyright
Copyright © The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America 2001

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