Federal officials are proposing new targets for reducing health care–associated infections, including a 75% reduction in invasive methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections by 2020.
The targets are available at www.health.gov/hai/pdfs/HAI-Targets.pdf and were produced by a committee of experts in the prevention of HAIs, who were charged with updating the federal government’s National Action Plan to Prevent Health Care-Associated Infections. The 5-year goals outlined in that plan, originally released in 2009, expired last year.
The current proposal would make HAI reduction in U.S. hospitals more aggressive in some areas, while dropping five Surgical Care Improvement Project measures from the target list. The process measures, which aim to prevent surgical site infections, are now widely accepted as standards of practice and have adherence rates greater than 95%, according to HHS.
CDC/D. Holdeman
A new proposal aims to reduce deadly infections acquired in hospitals, such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Clostridium difficile (pictured), by 75% in the next six years.
Some of the new targets will be based on 2015 baseline data, which are not yet available.
The seven proposed targets for 2020 are:
• Reduce central line–associated bloodstream infections by 50% from the 2015 baseline. Infections from mucosal barrier injury will be excluded from the calculation.
• Reduce catheter-associated urinary tract infections by 25% from the 2015 baseline.
• Reduce invasive health care–associated MRSA infections by 75% from the 2007 to 2008 baseline (27.08 infections per 100,000 persons).
• Reduce facility-onset MRSA by 50% from the 2015 baseline.
• Reduce facility-onset Clostridium difficile infections by 30% from the 2015 baseline.
• Reduce the rate of C. difficile hospitalizations by 30% from the 2015 baseline.
• Reduce surgical site infection admission and readmission by 30% from the 2015 baseline.
Hospitals and health care providers are seeing mixed results in reducing HAIs so far, according to data from HHS. As of October 2012, there have been steady improvements in reducing central line–associated bloodstream infections, health-care–associated invasive MRSA infections, and surgical site infections. But progress on reducing hospitalizations with C. difficile infection has leveled off, and providers are also not on track to meet targets for catheter-associated urinary tract infections, according to HHS.
HHS is asking the public to comment on the proposed targets by March 27. Comments can be sent by e-mail to ohq@hhs.gov.
mschneider@frontlinemedcom.com
On Twitter @maryellenny