CDPH Releases Reports on Healthcare-Associated Infections, Influenza Vaccination Rates Among Healthcare Personnel
Date: 12/16/2016
Number: 16-082
Contact: Ali Bay, (916) 440-7259
SACRAMENTO ā The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) released two annual reports today. The reports provide information about healthcare-associated infections (HAI) and influenza vaccination rates among health care providers.
While California hospitals have made progress in preventing healthcare-associated infections, HAIs continue to be a significant public health issue in the state. In 2015, hospitals reported 19,847 healthcare-associated infections to CDPH. From 2014 to 2015, 56 hospitals demonstrated significant improvement in preventing one or more HAI type. Hospitals are making progress in preventing HAI with the exception of C. difficile diarrheal infections (CDI), which increased 8 percent since 2011. CDPH offered infection-prevention assistance to 73 hospitals with high infection rates.
The departmentās influenza vaccination report indicates that vaccination rates among health care providers have improved in the past five years. Since 2011, vaccination rates increased 21 percent for hospital employees and 11 percent for non-employee healthcare providers, such as physicians or other contracted staff members.
Due to various factors in the way data are classified and validated, the information in this HAI report is not directly comparable to previous annual reports the department released. The report provides additional details about these changes.
āHospitals can utilize the data in our HAI report to implement and improve infection-prevention strategies,ā said Dr. Karen Smith, CDPH director and state public health officer. āThis same information can help Californians stay informed about what their local hospitals are doing to protect against healthcare associated infections.ā
Links to reports:
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