Surveillance of nosocomial infections by computer analysis of positive culture rates

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Abstract
A surveillance method is described that identifies excessive rates of positive cultures based on patient location, culture site and organism identification. During a 6-mo. period, this surveillance method, coupled with epidemiological investigations, identified 19 small clusters of cross-infections and 3 small outbreaks of i.v. catheter-related bacteremias. These infections were associated with apparent breakdowns in proper technique. Standard surveillance activities identified only 3 of these problems. These results demonstrate that computer analysis of positive culture rates is a sensitive and time-efficient method for detecting potentially preventable nosocomial infections.