title: Hospital adoption of automated surveillance technology and the implementation of infection prevention and control programs.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This research analyzes the relationship between hospital use of automated surveillance technology (AST) for identification and control of hospital-acquired infections (HAI) and implementation of evidence-based infection control practices. Our hypothesis is that hospitals that use AST have made more progress implementing infection control practices than hospitals that rely on manual surveillance.
  
  
  METHODS
  A survey of all acute general care hospitals in California was conducted from October 2008 through January 2009. A structured computer-assisted telephone interview was conducted with the quality director of each hospital. The final sample includes 241 general acute care hospitals (response rate, 83%).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Approximately one third (32.4%) of California's hospitals use AST for monitoring HAI. Adoption of AST is statistically significant and positively associated with the depth of implementation of evidence-based practices for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and ventilator-associated pneumonia and adoption of contact precautions and surgical care infection practices. Use of AST is also statistically significantly associated with the breadth of hospital implementation of evidence-based practices across all 5 targeted HAI.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings suggest that hospitals using AST can achieve greater depth and breadth in implementing evidenced-based infection control practices.
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-7360, USA. Helenhs@berkeley.edu
authors.forename: Helen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Halpin
authors.forename: Stephen M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Shortell
authors.forename: Arnold
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Milstein
authors.forename: Megan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vanneman
mesh_terms: D001331:Automation / Q000379:methods; D002140:California; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006761:Hospitals; D006801:Humans; D017053:Infection Control / Q000379:methods*; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D018571:Sentinel Surveillance