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How to Take a Data Informed Approach Towards Infection Control Prevention

Data lies at the core of healthcare operations. But how that data is used is often more
important than the data itself. With the rise of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) in recent years, we are now in critical need of a data-informed approach toward infection
prevention and control. 

In this whitepaper, you'll learn the three steps that healthcare organizations can take to collect and analyze data in a way that systemically supports infection prevention and control.

 

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Data Informed Approach to Infection Control

Learn how to take a data-informed approach toward infection control

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The Cost of HAIs

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 1 in 20 patients will develop a healthcare-associated infection (HAI), a condition developed while receiving treatment at a healthcare facility. These infections are contracted by an estimated 1.7 million patients every year and are the cause of some 99,000 deaths annually. The estimated cost of HAIs ranges from $35.7 to $45 billion.

 

The Cost of HAIs Infographic

 

Furthermore, as we have seen with the COVID-19 pandemic, new pathogens are emerging every day and are evolving to resist treatments. This is only adding to the constant threat of preventable harm that patients already face when being treated in a hospital.

For these reasons, infection control has become a top priority for many organizations in the healthcare space.

Although most healthcare organizations understand the importance of tracking infections using a data-informed approach, barriers in internal processes can make it difficult for care teams to effectively collect and analyze data. With limited budgets, resources, and personnel, many health systems are compelled to take a reactive approach – rather than a proactive one – toward infection control.

Conversely, other health systems face the opposite challenge of having too much data. “Data overload” can occur when organizations have so much information that it becomes difficult to analyze. This is often because relevant data is housed across siloed, disparate systems.

Using Technology to Streamline Infection Control Data Management

Fortunately, HAIs are preventable. Recent studies point to reporting as a possible solution for improved infection control.

Establishing a process for reporting HAIs has the following benefits:

  • Increased hand hygiene compliance
  • Ensure proper follow-up of HAIs
  • Track trends to prevent future HAIs

It is perhaps this last benefit that is most impactful. An incident reporting system allows care teams to seamlessly track information around infection rates, employee training, hand hygiene, and more. After data has been gathered, the system is then able to transform this data into a long-term strategy to prevent future infections through robust analysis and visualization tools.

Utilizing tools such as customized dashboards with drill-through analytics allows healthcare teams to implement corrective interventions to prevent similar infections from reoccurring, thus improving infection control and subsequently patient safety.

 

Improve Your Organization’s Infection Control Processes with Performance Health Partners

Performance Health Partners places patients first and helps organizations drastically improve quality of care through our incident reporting system.

Streamlined reporting, real-time notifications and alerts, and smart analytics empower healthcare organizations to take a data-informed approach towards infection control and prevention. Learn more.