New Hampshire releases first report on infections

Last week, New Hampshire released its first report on hospital-associated infection (HAI) rates. The report showed 134 infections during 2009, better than the 180 that was expected by state officials and lower compared to national data. Of the total 134 HAIs that were reported, 110 were surgical site infections (SSIs) and 24 were central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs).

New Hampshire passed the law in 2006 to publicly report hospital infection rates. In January 2009, all acute care hospitals began reporting CLABSIs and SSIs to the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). New Hampshire is one of 27 states that requires public reporting of hospital infections and is one of 20 states that have produced reports.

Full report here