State health department releases new data on infections in Illinois
hospitals
C.diff on the rise; MRSA infections stable
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[December 18, 2012]
CHICAGO -- The Illinois Hospital
Report Card and Consumer Guide to Health Care website now contains
the first infection surveillance data available statewide on
hospital-acquired infections for two of the most common and often
life-threatening bacterium found in Illinois hospitals.
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Hospitals began reporting positive lab results for Clostridium
Difficile, or C.diff, and MRSA, a virulent staph
infection. Hospital discharge data indicated that rates of C.diff
have more than doubled in the last decade in Illinois, while MRSA
rates have remained virtually the same over the last three years.
"The new data gives preliminary insight into the burden of these
infections in Illinois hospitals, and will assist health care
providers in planning infection prevention initiatives and tracking
progress designed to prevent infections over time," said Illinois
Department of Public Health Director LaMar Hasbrouck.
IDPH kicked off an education campaign in March designed to
educate hospital workers and health care personnel on preventing the
spread of C.diff. Illinois was one of only 15 states funded
by the CDC to implement programming for C.diff prevention.
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The Hospital Report Card and Consumer Guide to Health Care
website allows consumers to find information about health
care-associated infections and other safety and quality issues in
Illinois hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers. To find out more
about C. diff and MRSA infections and look up the latest
information on the website, visit
www.healthcarereportcard.illinois.gov.
[Text from
Illinois
Department of Public Health file received from
the
Illinois Office of
Communication and Information] |