title: Analysis and significance of nosocomial infection rates.
abstract: An analysis of the systems of nosocomial infection reporting utilized in a 332 bed, urban, referral-type hospital demonstrated that physician reporting was much less reliable than a well-planned surveillance system coordinated by an infection control nurse. During 12 months' experience with the most recently devloped system, the average monthly rate of nosocomial infection was 10.7%. A prevalence survey gave a rate of 14.4%. The efficiency of reporting was close to 100% when the infection control nurse spent 100% of her time on surveillance. With a reduction in surveillance time to 75%, the efficiency of reporting fell to about 75%.
mesh_terms: D003201:Computers; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D006753:Hospital Records; D006801:Humans; D007256:Information Systems; D008505:Medical Staff, Hospital; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital; D010414:Pennsylvania; D011676:Punched-Card Systems; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000453:epidemiology; D013530:Surgical Wound Infection / Q000453:epidemiology; D013997:Time Factors; D014552:Urinary Tract Infections / Q000453:epidemiology