Infection surveillance and control programs in the Department of Veterans Affairs nursing home care units: a preliminary assessment.
A survey was conducted to assess the capacity and current practices of the infection surveillance and control programs at the Department of Veterans Affairs' 130 nursing home care units (VA NHCUs) covering a total of 15,006 beds in 2003. All 130 VA NHCUs responded to the survey, although not all NHCUs answered every question. The majority of the VA NHCUs provided specialized services that might pose increased risks of infection. For every 8 to 10 VA NHCU beds, there was 1 regular-pressure or negative-pressure infection control room available. Each VA NHCU had an active ongoing infection surveillance and control program managed by highly educated infection control personnel (ICP), of which 96% had a minimum of a bachelor degree. A median of 12 hours per week of these ICP efforts was devoted to the infection surveillance and control activities. The most frequently used surveillance methods were targeted surveillance for specific infections and for specific organisms. Most VA NHCUs conducted surveillance for antibiotic-resistant organisms. However, VA NHCUs did not use a uniform set of definitions for nosocomial infections for their infection surveillance and control purposes. We conclude that VA NHCUs have a considerable infrastructure and capacity for infection surveillance and control. This information can be used to develop a nationwide VA NHCU nosocomial infection surveillance system.
Tsan
Linda
L
Department of Veterans Affairs Central Office, Washington, DC, USA. Linda.Tsan@va.gov
Hojlo
Christa
C
Kearns
Martha A
MA
Davis
Chester
C
Langberg
Robert
R
Claggett
Maurice
M
Coughlin
Nancy
N
Miller
Michael
M
Gaynes
Robert
R
Gibert
Cynthia
C
Montgomery
Ona
O
Richards
Chesley
C
Danko
Linda
L
Roselle
Gary
G
D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006801:Humans; D017053:Infection Control / Q000379:methods*; D007239:Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D009735:Nursing Homes; D011159:Population Surveillance / Q000379:methods*; D015397:Program Evaluation; D014481:United States; D014493:United States Department of Veterans Affairs; D014728:Veterans