Alabama hospitals performed better than the national average last year in four infection-related categories, according to the Alabama Department of Public Health.
The report on healthcare-associated infections in 2016 reveals state and hospital-specific infection rates on catheter-associated urinary tract infections, central line-associated blood stream infections and two surgical site infection measures.
For catheter-associated urinary tract infections, 26 Alabama facilities performed better than the national baseline, with one performing worse. For central line-associated blood stream infections, 12 hospitals performed better than the national baseline, and no hospital performed worse.
Scott Harris, MD, acting state health officer, noted that the annual report provides information on the number of infections per category and how a hospital performs compared to the national average. "In addition to the report, our staff members work with hospitals to improve the accuracy of the reporting," Dr. Harris said.
Alabama hospitals have also contributed to improvement in the state average, with statewide catheter-associated urinary tract infection rates halved since 2011 and decreases in other categories, said Donald E. Williamson, MD, president of the Alabama Hospital Association.
"While much progress has been made, hospitals are constantly working with staff, patients, and their families to prevent infections," Dr. Williamson added.
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