Closer to Zero: Fiscal Year Infection Rates Show Remarkable Progress

Your hard work to significantly reduce healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) has paid off. PPMC's Infection Control team recently finished tracking the progress PPMC made in fiscal year 2010, and HAIs are down across the board.

From July 2009 through June 2010, PPMC had:

13 central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLA-BSIs), for a rate of 1.0 infection per 1,000 catheter-days. This is a 46 percent reduction compared to the number of infections in FY 2009. The noncritical care areas really drove our performance improvements in CLA-BSIs this year, with a 67 percent reduction in these areas!
20 catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CA-UTIs), for a rate of 1.7 infections per 1,000 catheter-days. This exceeded our FY 2010 goal of having 31 infections with a rate of 2.8/1,000 catheter-days.
Three ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) cases, for a rate of 0.8 cases per 1,0000 ventilator days. This is a 50 percent reduction from the number of cases we saw in FY 2009. Each critical care unit had only one VAP case all year! Amazing, given how sick some of our patients are!

“This dramatic success is due to the dedication of our steadfast nurses on the units and support from the physicians and staff,” said Judith O’Donnell, MD, director of Infection Control at Penn Presbyterian. “These results demonstrate that the initiatives led by members of the Unit-based Clinical Leadership teams and others have paid off.”

Congratulations to all on this impressive accomplishment. Keep up the good work!

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