1. Burton Garten Indiana State Department of Health

2. Established in 2005 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to integrate the former CDC surveillance systems:  National Nosocomial Infections Surveillance System (NNIS)  Dialysis Surveillance Network (DSN)  National Surveillance System for Healthcare Workers (NaSH)

3. NHSN is a secure on-line data collection system that contains various modules for tracking:  Infections (ex. clostridium difficile, catheter associated urinary tract infections)  Healthcare personnel safety  Biovigilance

4. Data is collected using standardized methods and definitions. Infections are categorized using standard CDC definitions including laboratory and clinical criteria. Facility’s entered data is available to it for use in several user created report formats.

5. Purpose of NHSN:  Estimate magnitude of HAIs  Monitor HAI trends  Facilitate inter- and intra-facility comparisons with risk-adjusted data for local quality improvement activities  Assist facilities with surveillance and analysis methods for patient safety problems

6. More than 2000 hospitals use NHSN to report infection surveillance data. 21 states require hospitals to use NHSN to report infection data. Not only hospitals: Ambulatory Surgery Centers, Outpatient Dialysis Centers, Long Term Care, Home Health Care

7. Confidentiality The NHSN keeps the identity of all participating facilities confidential in accordance with the Public Health Service Act (42 USC 242b,242k, and 242m(d)). Only aggregate data is released to the public.

8. Eligibility Criteria 1. Listed in one of the following databases:  American Hospital Association (AHA)  Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)  Veteran’s Affairs (VA)

9. Eligibility Criteria (continued) 2. Email addresses for users, high speed internet, and ability to download a digital signature 3. Follow NHSN component protocols and report accurate data

10. Eligibility Criteria (continued) 4. Willing to share data with CDC 5. Written consent for participation from chief executive leadership

11. Training The person designated as facility administrator for NHSN must complete the on-line education and training provided by the CDC before using NHSN. Training time will vary depending on the NHSN role selected for each person by the participating facility.

12. http://www.cdc.gov/nhsn/index.html