Less than 25% of Hospitals Turn Over Infection Data to CDC

Less than a quarter of hospitals in the U.S. are reporting data on hospital-acquired infections and many facilities may not know how many infections occur in their hospitals, according to a new report by the federal government.  

Last week, the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) issued a report on hospital infections, which revealed information about substantial gaps in hospital reporting rates.

The survey was focused on central line-associated blood stream infections (CLABSIs), which are infections resulting from central line catheters and most frequently affect severely ill patients. The CDC predicts that CLABSIs are responsible for about 1/3 of all hospital-acquired infection deaths in the U.S. each year.

While the data gleaned from hospitals indicate that the rate of infection was lower than expected, only 24% of hospitals actually turned in infection rate data to the CDC. Only 17 states mandate that hospitals report on hospital-acquired infections, and only five of those states actually validate the information is accurate through their own state health departments.

The survey was the first time CDC gathered self-reported information from hospitals. The data it did collect was limited to a six-month initial reporting period, and CDC researchers say that as the survey is performed annually and more hospitals report more reliable information, the CDC’s knowledge of infection rates will improve.

The CDC reports that there are more than 2 million hospital infections acquired each year, resulting in about 90,000 deaths annually. Another 1.5 million long term care and nursing home infections occur every year.

In recent years, there has been an increasing number of hospital infection lawsuits filed throughout the United States, as experts believe that most of these potentially life-threatening infections in hospitals can be prevented if steps are taken by the facility and staff.

These steps could include improved methods of handling catheter during insertion, leaving them in for shorter periods and improved hygiene. Many hospitals have instituted new rules to ensure that hands are washed and increased efforts are being taken to keep areas lie the ICU more sterile and catheters clean.