2017 HAI Report Executive Summary

Executive Summary

Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) are a public health concern that continue to pose a threat to patient safety. On any given day, approximately 1 in 31 hospital patients has at least one HAI. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an estimated 687,000 HAIs occurred nationally and about 72,000 hospitalized patients with HAIs died in 2015. As of 2015, all HAI data reported to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting Program are required to be shared with the Virginia Department of Health (VDH). This annual report summarizes the performance of Virginia’s acute care hospitals on HAIs in 2017 and healthcare personnel influenza vaccination for the 2017-2018 influenza season.

Key Findings

• In 2017, there were 23% fewer central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) in Virginia acute care hospitals than predicted based on the national experience from 2015. This was a statistically significant reduction from the national baseline.
• In 2017, there were about the same number of catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) in Virginia acute care hospitals as predicted based on the national experience from 2015.
• In 2017, there were about the same number of surgical site infections (SSIs) following abdominal hysterectomies and about the same number of SSIs following colon surgeries in adult patients (≥18 years) in Virginia acute care hospitals as predicted based on the national experience from 2015.
• In 2017, there were about the same number of hospital-onset methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteremia laboratory-identified events in Virginia acute care hospitals as predicted based on the national experience from 2015.
• In 2017, there were 24% fewer hospital-onset Clostridioides difficile laboratory-identified events in Virginia acute care hospitals than predicted based on the national experience from 2015. This was a statistically significant reduction from the national baseline.
• For the 2017-2018 influenza season, over half (54%) of Virginia hospitals met the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Healthy People 2020 goal of 90% vaccination of healthcare personnel.

Overall, Virginia acute care hospitals have shown progress in preventing CLABSI and Clostridioides difficile laboratory-identified events in 2017 when compared to the national experience. Further action is needed to reduce other HAIs, including CAUTIs, SSIs following abdominal hysterectomies and colon surgeries in adult patients, and MRSA bacteremia, as hospitals did not show any significant changes in 2017 from the national baseline.

The Virginia HAI/AR Program continues to work with partner organizations, key stakeholders, and healthcare facilities to improve existing programs and develop new strategies to reduce the number of HAIs in Virginia hospitals and to ultimately protect patients from harm.