title: State-mandated reporting of health care-associated infections in the United States: trends over time.
abstract: Over the past decade, most US states and territories began mandating that acute care hospitals report health care-associated infections (HAIs) to their departments of health. Trends in state HAI law enactment and data submission requirements were determined through systematic legal review; state HAI coordinators were contacted to confirm collected data. As of January 31, 2013, 37 US states and territories (71%) had adopted laws requiring HAI data submission, most of which were enacted and became effective in 2006 and 2007. Most states with HAI laws required reporting of central line-associated bloodstream infections in adult intensive care units (92%), and about half required reporting of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Clostridium difficile infections (54% and 51%, respectively). Overall, data submission requirements were found to vary across states. Considering the facility and state resources needed to comply with HAI reporting mandates, future studies should focus on whether these laws have had the desired impact of reducing infection rates.
authors.affiliation: Columbia University School of Nursing, New York, NY Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY cth2115@columbia.edu.
authors.forename: Carolyn T A
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Herzig
authors.affiliation: Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA.
authors.forename: Julie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Reagan
authors.affiliation: Columbia University School of Nursing, New York, NY.
authors.forename: Monika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pogorzelska-Maziarz
authors.affiliation: IP Navigation Group, Dallas, TX.
authors.forename: Divya
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Srinath
authors.affiliation: Columbia University School of Nursing, New York, NY.
authors.forename: Patricia W
authors.initials: PW
authors.lastname: Stone
mesh_terms: D055499:Catheter-Related Infections / Q000453:epidemiology; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000453:epidemiology; D018563:Disease Notification / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D019221:Mandatory Reporting; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: device-associated infections; health care–associated infection legislation; mandatory reporting; multidrug-resistant organisms