Method for measuring the incidence of hospital acquired infections

• US 8,060,315 B2
• Filed: 07/26/2005
• Issued: 11/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Carefusion 303 Incorporated (Becton, Dickinson & Co)
• Original Assignee: Carefusion 303 Incorporated (Becton, Dickinson & Co)
• Inventors: LaBorde, Gerald T. Jr., Brossette, Stephen E., Hymel, Patrick A. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): BORIN, MICHAEL L
• Application Number:
  US11/189,394
• Publication Number:
  US 20060229821A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,303 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 702/19
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063 Operations research, analysis or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/00 Information and communication technology [ICT] specially adapted for implementation of business processes of specific business sectors, e.g. utilities or tourism healthcare informatics G16H
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/13 delivered from dispensers
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/20 for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities, e.g. managing hospital staff or surgery rooms
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/80 for detecting, monitoring or modelling epidemics or pandemics, e.g. flu
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 90/10 Information and communication technologies [ICT] supporting adaptation to climate change, e.g. for weather forecasting or climate simulation

Abstract

Disclosed is a method and system for analyzing patient hospitalization data to determine a Nosocomial Infection Marker (NIM), the method comprising receiving from a database hospitalization data associated with at least one patient, calculating from the hospitalization data the number of specimens with non-duplicate hospital isolates (SNDHI) markers, calculating from the hospitalization data antibiotic utilization criteria (AUC) markers, and determining the nosocomial infection marker (NIM) for each patient, based upon the calculated SNDHI and AUC markers.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method implemented on a computer coupled to a hospital network for electronically analyzing patient hospitalization data to determine a Nosocomial Infection Marker (NIM), the method comprising:

receiving, at a computer, from a database, hospitalization data associated with at least one patient;

calculating at the computer, from the hospitalization data, a number of specimens with non-duplicate hospital isolates (SNDHI) markers by;

segregating a first isolate of a microorganism from a patient obtained during a determined first period of time;

eliminating additional isolates of the same microorganism from the patient obtained within the determined first period of time when the additional isolates were not tested against antimicrobial drugs;

eliminating each additional isolate of the same microorganism from the patient obtained within the determined first period of time when the additional isolate was tested against antimicrobial drugs and an interpreted antimicrobial susceptibility result of the test differs from the first isolate on fewer than a predetermined number of drugs;

assigning a SNDHI marker to each remaining isolate; and

giving a collected SNDHI date to the SNDHI marker;

calculating at the computer, from the hospitalization data, an antibiotic utilization criteria (AUC) marker by;

identifying whether antimicrobials were dispensed during the course of the patient hospitalization;

assigning the AUC marker; and

giving an AUC marker date to the assigned AUC marker;

determining the nosocomial infection marker (NIM) for the patient hospitalization, based upon the calculated SNDHI and AUC markers; and

presenting the NIM to a user;

wherein the NIM is equal to the AUC if SNDHI if is equal to zero, otherwise the NIM is equal to the SNDHI.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one isolate eliminated comprises, coagulase-negative staphylococci from respiratory specimens, viridians group streptococci from respiratory specimens, Candida species from respiratory specimens, Aspergillus species from upper respiratory specimens, coagulase-negative Staphylococcus species, Bacillius species, corynebacteria species, diptheroids isolated from broth or liquid laboratory culture media, isolates in which no microorganism species is named, isolated obtained from decubitus specimens, isolates obtained from species that grow over a predetermined number of distinct microorganisms, isolates collected from surveillance specimens when no infection at the species source is suspected, isolates from environmental specimens, isolates from gynecology specimens excluding surgical wounds, isolates from dermatology specimens, or urine isolates that yield fewer than 10,000 colonies/cc of urine.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the patient hospitalization data comprises laboratory data.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the patient hospitalization data pharmacy ordering and dispensing data.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the patient hospitalization data comprises patient census data.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the patient hospitalization data comprises Admit-Transfer-Discharge data.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying results of NIM determination.