Validation of a multicenter computer-based surveillance system for hospital-acquired bloodstream infections in neonatal intensive care departments

• Published in: American journal of infection control Vol. 32; no. 4; pp. 232 - 234
• Main Authors: Graham, Philip L, San Gabriel, Pablo, Lutwick, Suzanne, Haas, Janet, Saiman, Lisa
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: St. Louis, MO Mosby, Inc 01.06.2004; Mosby
• Subjects: Bacteremia - epidemiology; Bacteremia - microbiology; Bacterial diseases; Bacterial sepsis; Biological and medical sciences; Blood-Borne Pathogens - isolation & purification; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.); Computer Systems; Cross Infection - epidemiology; Cross Infection - microbiology; Data Collection; Diagnosis, Computer-Assisted; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections - diagnosis; Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections - epidemiology; Gram-Positive Bacterial Infections - diagnosis; Gram-Positive Bacterial Infections - epidemiology; Human bacterial diseases; Humans; Incidence; Infectious diseases; Intensive Care Units, Neonatal; Male; Medical sciences; Microbiology; Risk Assessment; Sensitivity and Specificity; Sentinel Surveillance; Survival Analysis; United States; United States; Human; Infection; Nosocomial infection; Intensive care; Newborn; Microbiology; Surveillance; Bacteriosis; Bacteremia
• ISSN: 0196-6553; 1527-3296
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ajic.2003.07.008

Automated systems can facilitate surveillance for health care–associated infections. The New York Antimicrobial Resistance Project (NYARP) electronically monitors trends in bloodstream infections from 6 medical centers in New York, NY. To validate NYARP's data, episodes of health care–associated bloodstream infections detected by this system were compared with those obtained by an infection control practitioner performing an unrelated study in 2 participating neonatal intensive care departments. The sensitivity (84%), specificity (99%), and positive (84%) and negative (99%) predictive values of NYARP were excellent when coagulase-negative staphylococcal bloodstream infections were removed.