Return to ACTION Home

Return to HRET Home

Hospital-associated infections (HAIs) have increased steadily since 2000. HAIs cause more deaths each year than AIDS, breast cancer, and auto accidents combined. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimate that approximately 2 million HAIs occur each year and account for roughly $4.5 billion in excess health care costs. With the right interventions, though, hospitals can significantly reduce infection rates. 

In collaboration with the Michigan Health & Hospital Association Keystone Center for Patient Safety & Quality and four Michigan hospitals, HRET is evaluating the effectiveness of three evidence-based AHRQ tools to reduce ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), central line-associated blood stream infections (CLABSI), and infections associated with chest tube insertions.

The three AHRQ toolkits-a DVD on chest tube insertion, a Web-based training program on central venous catheters, and a multimedia toolkit on CLABSI and VAP-are being incorporated into an existing patient safety training program for intensive care units in four diverse hospitals. 

The project is measuring the impact of the toolkits through pre- and post-training competency testing and administration of the AHRQ Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture (HSOPS). HRET and partners are also tracking infection rates before and after integration of the toolkits. The project is documenting the specific challenges of embedding the AHRQ tools in each of the four hospitals and recording the associated costs of implementation.

For more information on this project, contact Deb Bohr at (646) 678-4280 or dbohr@aha.org.