title: Informatics and epidemiology in infection control.
abstract: Increasing amounts of hospital data are available electronically and offer new possibilities in performing surveillance for health care-associated infections. To use electronic information effectively, health care epidemiologists need to be aware of potential sources of data, issues with data integrity, and the trade-offs in using electronic data for surveillance as opposed to traditional manual surveillance. In reality, a combined surveillance approach may provide the best possible result. A clear understanding of the epidemiologic principles, such as prevalence and incidence, and some of the nuances behind these principles are essential for the proper interpretation of the epidemiologic data.
authors.affiliation: Center for Clinical Excellence, BJC HealthCare and Washington University School of Medicine, 660 South Euclid Avenue, Campus Box 8051, St Louis, MO 63110, USA. KWoeltje@DOM.wustl.edu
authors.forename: Keith F
authors.initials: KF
authors.lastname: Woeltje
authors.forename: Ebbing
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lautenbach
mesh_terms: D003428:Cross Infection / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D017053:Infection Control / Q000379:methods*; D008490:Medical Informatics; D015995:Prevalence; D018571:Sentinel Surveillance