Healthcare-associated Infections

2011 National and State Healthcare-associated Infections Standardized Infection Ratio Report

What is a Standardized Infection Ratio (SIR)?

The SIR is a summary measure used to track healthcare-associated infections over time. It adjusts for the fact that each healthcare facility treats different types of patients. The SIR compares the number of infections reported to NHSN in 2011 to the number of infections that would be predicted based on national, historical baseline data:

More about the SIR

More about this report and how CDC is using the data

The 2011 National and State Healthcare-associated Infections Standardized Infection Ratio Report (Jan.-Dec. 2011) presents a comprehensive summary of HAI data collected in CDC’s National Healthcare Safety Network(NHSN). Healthcare facilities using NHSN have real-time access to their data for local improvement efforts. This annual report provides analysis of national and state-level HAI data to help identify gaps in HAI prevention.

CDC reported for 2011:

A 41 percent reduction in central line-associated bloodstream infections since 2008, up from the 32 percent reduction reported in 2010. Progress in preventing these infections was seen in intensive care units (ICU), wards, and neonatal ICUs in all reporting facilities. A central line is a tube that is placed in a large vein of a patient's neck or chest to give important medical treatment. When not put in correctly or kept clean, central lines can become a freeway for germs to enter the body and cause serious bloodstream infections. CDC estimates that 12,400 central line-associated bloodstream infections occurred in 2011, costing one payer, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), approximately $26,000 per infection.
A 17 percent reduction in surgical site infections since 2008, up from the 7 percent reduction reported in 2010.This improvement was not evident for all procedure types, and there is still substantial opportunity for improvement across a range of operative procedures.
A 7 percent reduction in catheter-associated urinary tract infections since 2009, which is the same percentage of reduction that was reported in 2010. While there were modest reductions in infections among patients in general wards, there was essentially no reduction in infections reported in critical care locations.

Read CDC’s Frequently Asked Questions to learn more about the findings in this report and how CDC, the federal government, and states are using this data.

National and State Healthcare-associated Infections Standardized Infection Ratio Report
Using Data Reported to the National Healthcare Safety Network Jan – Dec 2011 [PDF - 1 MB]