Five years working with the German nosocomial infection surveillance system (Krankenhaus Infektions Surveillance System).
A national surveillance system for nosocomial infections, Krankenhaus Infektions Surveillance System (KISS), was established in Germany as a joint effort by the National Reference Center for Hospital Epidemiology (currently called the National Reference Center for the Surveillance of Nosocomial Infections) and the Robert Koch Institute. To begin with a well-accepted and proven method, surveillance protocols were developed on the basis of the National Nosocomial Infections Surveillance system. Hospitals from all parts of Germany took part voluntarily. There were 4 surveillance components: intensive care departments (227), patients undergoing operation (231 departments), neonatal intensive care departments (23 hospitals), and patients undergoing bone marrow and peripheral blood stem cell transplants (10 hospitals). Five years after the introduction of KISS many hospitals have introduced continuous surveillance activities whereby the various definitions and methods have attained wide acceptance. This has lead to much better understanding and cooperation between clinicians and infection control personnel in preventing nosocomial infections. KISS is considered the national reference database, but continuous evaluation and development of KISS are necessary to react adequately.
Gastmeier
Petra
P
Institute for Medical Microbiology and Hospital Epidemiology, Medical School, Hannover.
Geffers
Christine
C
Sohr
Dorit
D
Dettenkofer
Markus
M
Daschner
Franz
F
Rüden
Henning
H
D003428:Cross Infection / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D018571:Sentinel Surveillance; D013530:Surgical Wound Infection / Q000453:epidemiology