Staff Attitudes towards Patient Safety Culture and Working Conditions in an Irish Tertiary Neonatal Unit

Introduction There is little published research evaluating attitudes towards patient safety culture and working conditions in neonatal units. This study aimed to explore this within a Level III Irish neonatal unit setting. Methods This was a quantitative, cross-sectional study performed in the Rotunda Hospital, Dublin. A 30-item safety attitudes questionnaire (SAQ) was utilized to analyze staff perceptions in areas including job satisfaction, working conditions and stress recognition. Results The 'Stress Recognition' domain received the highest score (75.3) followed by 'Job Satisfaction' domain with a mean score of 74.4. The lowest mean scale score in the neonatal unit was for 'Perceptions of Management', with a mean score of 50.7. Collaboration and Communication scores were high across all disciplines. Conclusion This SAQ has highlighted a number of important areas for quality improvement and staff satisfaction in our neonatal unit.

The Perinatal-Neonatal Care Journey for Parents of Preterm Infants: What Is Working and What Can Be Improved.

Preterm birth is traumatic for parents, but there are few reports of parents' views on how the healthcare journey can be improved. This secondary thematic analysis used focus group data from parent consultation on proposed neonatal services standards for Northern Ireland to discover parents' experiences and recommendations for the perinatal, neonatal, and home care phases. Parents of preterm infants (n = 40) described their healthcare journey as positive overall and were grateful for the caring and competent care providers they encountered. However, parents described experiences that varied in quality and family centeredness across the care journey from perinatal to home care. They noted inconsistencies in healthcare team communication and provider practices and reported receiving limited emotional and practical support at all phases. In the perinatal phase, parents described difficult situations of discovering medical problems leading to preterm birth. In the neonatal intensive care unit phase, they also experienced unmet needs for involvement in decision making, financial strain, and difficulty coping with transfers and discharge. Parents experienced emotional challenges and lack of support in the home care phase. Parents identified actions that health systems can take to improve the consistency of care and communication across all phases and settings to encourage better collaboration and transitions in care.

Interprofessional Education in Neonatal Care.

Interprofessional education is not a new concept. Yet, the operationalization of interprofessional education with related competencies for collaborative team-based practice in neonatal units is often difficult. Changes in healthcare with an emphasis on patient-focused care and the concern for patient safety and quality care are accelerating the need for more interprofessional education. This article briefly outlines the evolution of interprofessional education to support collaborative team-based practice and how that facilitates safety and quality care in neonatal units.

Neonatal nurses' beliefs, knowledge, and practices in relation to sudden infant death syndrome risk-reduction recommendations.

BACKGROUND: Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) remains the third leading cause of infant death in the United States and the leading cause of death beyond 1 month of age. In 2011, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) released the newest SIDS risk-reduction recommendations, which address healthcare providers in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). Little is known about neonatal nurses' SIDS prevention strategies since the release of these newest recommendations. PURPOSE: To assess neonatal nurses' beliefs, knowledge, and practices regarding SIDS prevention in both the NICU and step-down transitional care unit (TCU). METHODS: A prospective-descriptive design was used. The 33-item SIDS Risk-Reduction Questionnaire was distributed to a convenience sample of nurses in a level III NICU/TCU in the Midwest. RESULTS: Two hundred questionnaires were distributed; 96 (48%) were returned completed. Fifty-three percent of nurses strongly agreed that SIDS recommendations make a difference in preventing SIDS and 20% strongly believed that parents model SIDS prevention practices employed by staff. A majority of nurses correctly identified 2011 recommendations. Sixty-three percent of nurses often or always gave parents verbal information and 28% often or always gave parents written information regarding SIDS. Differences were seen between NICU and TCU nurses concerning beliefs and practices, suggesting that TCU nurses more consistently follow SIDS recommendations. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Increased neonatal nursing and parental education regarding SIDS prevention and updated hospital policies promoting safe sleep are paramount. IMPLICATIONS FOR RESEARCH: Larger multicenter studies in level II/III NICUs are needed to provide further data on SIDS attitudes and practices.

How differing shift lengths relate to quality outcomes in pediatrics.

OBJECTIVE: The aims of this study were to describe the shift lengths of pediatric nurses and to measure the association of shift length with nurse job outcomes, nurse-reported patient outcomes, and nurse-assessed safety and quality of care in hospitals. BACKGROUND: Long work hours have been linked with poor patient outcomes in adult patient populations, but little is known about the relationship in pediatric settings. METHODS: A secondary analysis of cross-sectional nurse survey data was conducted. Our analysis focused on 3710 registered nurses who worked in 342 acute care hospitals that treated children. RESULTS: Most pediatric nurses worked 12-hour shifts, especially in intensive care settings. Nurses who worked extended shifts of more than 13 hours reported worse job outcomes and lower quality and safety for patients compared with nurses who worked 8-hour shifts. CONCLUSIONS: Allocating resources to nursing to improve working hours may be a productive strategy for administrators to improve the health and well-being of pediatric patients and nurses.

Targeted oxygen therapy in special care nurseries: is uniformity a good thing?

AIM: There is wide variation in the commencement of inspired oxygen (FiO2) and the oxygen saturation (SpO(2) ) targets set in special care nurseries (SCNs). Evidence supports minimising unnecessary oxygen exposure. Does the introduction of a protocol advocating the uniform approach of commencing FiO2 at 30% and targeting SpO2 of 94-96% for infants ≥ 33 weeks gestation with respiratory distress reduce oxygen exposure? METHODS: A 'Before After' study was undertaken in three SCNs. Data were recorded for all infants admitted to the SCNs who required oxygen over a 3-year period. Infants were analysed in gestational age groups: 33-36 weeks (late preterm) and +37 weeks (term/post-term). RESULTS: Of the 19,830 infants born, 868 (4%) were treated with oxygen. The introduction of an oxygen-targeting protocol resulted in a statistically and clinically significant reduction in the proportion of infants who were treated with any oxygen for 1 h or more, 4 h or more and in the proportion who received >30% FiO2 for 1 h or more (all P ≤ 0.01). This reduction was significant for infants of both gestational age groups. The median duration of oxygen for term/post-term infants was reduced from 12 h pre-protocol to 10 h post-protocol (P= 0.01); however, no significant difference was found for the preterm group (reduced from 11 to 8 h, P= 0.07). CONCLUSION: Introduction of a uniform oxygen protocol in SCNs for infants ≥ 33 weeks gestation with respiratory distress reduces the number of infants receiving oxygen and, in term infants, the duration of oxygen exposure.

Procedural pain guidelines for the newborn in the United Kingdom.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the use of analgesia guidelines for newborn infants in the United Kingdom. STUDY DESIGN: Postal questionnaire to every neonatal unit in the United Kingdom. RESULT: A total of 192 of 244 units replied (78.7% response). Most units had a guideline for elective intubation (70%), sedation for ventilation (78%) post-operative pain (when appropriate) (74%). Less prevalent were guidelines for painful minor procedures (35%). Only 33% of units gave a sweet-tasting solution for analgesia before routine painful procedures and 12% used a topical anesthetic cream. CONCLUSION: Since the last survey in 2000 there has been a modest increased uptake in measures to prevent pain neonatal pain in the United Kingdom, but no pain guideline was present in almost 25% of units and no guideline for routine painful procedures in the majority.

Clinical Monitoring of Well-Appearing Infants Born to Mothers With Chorioamnionitis.

BACKGROUND: The risk of early-onset sepsis is low in well-appearing late-preterm and term infants even in the setting of chorioamnionitis. The empirical antibiotic strategies for chorioamnionitis-exposed infants that are recommended by national guidelines result in antibiotic exposure for numerous well-appearing, uninfected infants. We aimed to reduce unnecessary antibiotic use in chorioamnionitis-exposed infants through the implementation of a treatment approach that focused on clinical presentation to determine the need for antibiotics. METHODS: Within a quality-improvement framework, a new treatment approach was implemented in March 2015. Well-appearing late-preterm and term infants who were exposed to chorioamnionitis were clinically monitored for at least 24 hours in a level II nursery; those who remained well appearing received no laboratory testing or antibiotics and were transferred to the level I nursery or discharged from the hospital. Newborns who became symptomatic were further evaluated and/or treated with antibiotics. Antibiotic use, laboratory testing, culture results, and clinical outcomes were collected. RESULTS: Among 277 well-appearing, chorioamnionitis-exposed infants, 32 (11.6%) received antibiotics during the first 15 months of the quality-improvement initiative. No cases of culture result-positive early-onset sepsis occurred. No infant required intubation or inotropic support. Only 48 of 277 (17%) patients had sepsis laboratory testing. The implementation of the new approach was associated with a 55% reduction (95% confidence interval 40%-65%) in antibiotic exposure across all infants ≥34 weeks' gestation born at our hospital. CONCLUSIONS: A management approach using clinical presentation to determine the need for antibiotics in chorioamnionitis-exposed infants was successful in reducing antibiotic exposure and was not associated with any clinically relevant delays in care or adverse outcomes.

Nosocomial infection due to rotavirus in infants in Alzahra Hospital, Isfahan, Iran.

Rotavirus is one of the most common causes of acute diarrhoea during infancy, and the spread of this infection due to rotavirus in paediatric wards can cause acute diarrhoea during hospitalization, and, in turn, prolong hospitalization or rehospitalization. It is, therefore, important to evaluate the problem and to find an appropriate approach to decrease the rate of infection. The incidence of nosocomial infection due to rotavirus was studied in 80 children aged 3-24 months from November 2003 to April 2004 in the Alzahra Hospital, Isfahan, Iran. Rotavirus antigen was detected by latex aggulutation in stool samples obtained during hospitalization and up to 72 hours after discharge from the hospital. The prevalence of nosocomial infection due to rotavirus was 26.25%, which is a considerable prevalence compared to similar studies which reported a prevalence of 27.7%, 19.4%, and 14.6%. Overall, 15% of the 21 children with positive rotavirus antigen in their stools had acute diarrhoea during hospitalization and up to 72 hours after discharge (symptomatic nosocomial infection), and 11.25% of all children (n=80) studied had asymptomatic nosocomial infection. Regarding the low frequency of nosocomial infection due to rotavirus in other studies which have only studied symptomatic cases during hospitalization and reported a prevalence of 3.3 and 9%, it is suggested that the real estimation of nosocomial infection due to rotavirus in asymptomatic cases that might become symptomatic after discharge from hospital should also be considered. Due to the relatively high frequency of nosocomial infection in the Alzahra Hospital, it is necessary to follow stricter health issues, e.g. isolation of patients with diarrhoea and hand-washing before and after the examination of every patient.

User Evaluation of Neonatology Ward Design.

OBJECTIVE: The object of this article is to identify the set of affective and emotional factors behind users' assessments of a space in a neonatology unit and to propose design guidelines based on these. BACKGROUND: The importance of the neonatology service and the variety of users place great demands on the space at all levels. Despite the repercussions, the emotional aspects of the environment have received less attention. METHODS: To avoid incurring limitations in the user mental scheme, this study uses two complementary methodologies: focus group and semantic differential. The (qualitative) focus group methodology provides exploratory information and concepts. The (quantitative) semantic differential methodology then uses these concepts to extract the conceptual structures that users employ in their assessment of the space. Of the total 175 subjects, 31 took part in focus groups and 144 in semantic differential. RESULTS: Five independent concepts were identified: privacy, functionality and professional nature, spaciousness, lighting, and cleanliness. In relation to the importance of the overall positive assessment of the space, the perception of privacy and sensations of dominance and pleasure are fundamental. Six relevant design aspects were also identified: provide spacious surroundings, facilitate sufficient separation between the different posts or cots, use different colors from those usually found in health-care centers, as some aversion was found to white and especially green, design areas with childhood themes, use warm artificial light, and choose user-friendly equipment. CONCLUSIONS: Results provide design recommendations of interest and show the possibilities offered by combining both systems to analyze user response.

Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Two Morphine Protocols to Treat Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome in a Level II Nursery in a Community Hospital.

The authors sought to evaluate the impact on length of hospital stay and treatment duration of morphine after implementation of a change in the institutional protocol for managing neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) in an effort to improve patient outcomes. A single-center, retrospective chart review was conducted at a Level II nursery in a community hospital in Kentucky. Fifty-nine neonates born between January 1, 2014, and December 31, 2015, who were diagnosed with NAS and received morphine for treatment were included. The protocol 1 group consisted of 33 neonates who received an initial dose of morphine 0.04 mg/kg/dose administered orally every 4 hours (January 1-December 31, 2014), and the protocol 2 group consisted of 26 neonates who received an initial dose of morphine 0.06 mg/kg/dose administered orally every 3 hours (January 1-November 30, 2015), after a change in the protocol for managing NAS was implemented on January 1, 2015. Data were reviewed and compared between the two protocol groups to determine the impact that the dosage change had on length of hospital stay and morphine treatment duration. The average length of stay decreased by 7 days in the protocol 2 group compared with the protocol 1 group (21 vs 28.65 days). The average duration of treatment decreased by 7 days in the protocol 2 group compared with the protocol 1 group (18.3 vs 25.4 days). These differences between groups were not statistically significant, however, because the population size was not large enough to achieve adequate power. These results indicate that protocol 2 displayed the potential to decrease length of stay and duration of treatment compared with protocol 1 at this facility; however, balancing higher starting doses with the risk of oversedation will continue to challenge the health care team. Concern for oversedation when using the higher starting dose in protocol 2 has prompted further research (e.g., protocol 3, initial morphine 0.05 mg/kg/dose every 3 hrs). Continued research is also necessary with larger patient populations to enable generalizability to other institutions.

Staffing in postnatal units: is it adequate for the provision of quality care? Staff perspectives from a state-wide review of postnatal care in Victoria, Australia.

BACKGROUND: State-wide surveys of recent mothers conducted over the past decade in Victoria, one state of Australia, have identified that women are consistently less satisfied with the care they received in hospital following birth compared with other aspects of maternity care. Little is known of caregivers' perspectives on the provision ofhospital postnatal care: how care is organised and provided in different hospitals; what constrains the provision of postnatal care (apart from funding) and what initiatives are being undertaken to improve service delivery. A state-widereview of organisational structures and processes in relation to the provision of hospital postnatal care in Victoria was undertaken. This paper focuses on the impact of staffing issues on the provision of quality postnatal care from the perspective of care providers. METHODS: A study of care providers from Victorian public hospitals that provide maternity services was undertaken. Datawere collected in two stages. Stage one: a structured questionnaire was sent to all public hospitals in Victoria that provided postnatal care (n = 73), exploring the structure and organisation of care (e.g. staffing, routine observations, policy framework and discharge planning). Stage two: 14 maternity units were selected and invited to participate in a more in-depth exploration of postnatal care. Thirty-eight key informant interviews were undertaken with midwives (including unit managers, associate unit managers and clinical midwives) and a medical practitioner from eachselected hospital. RESULTS: Staffing was highlighted as a major factor impacting on the provision of quality postnatal care. There were significant issues associated with inadequate staff/patient ratios; staffing mix; patient mix; prioritisation of birth suites over postnatal units; and the use of non-permanent staff. Forty-three percent of hospitals reported having only midwives (i.e. no non-midwives) providing postnatal care. Staffing issues impact on hospitals' ability to provide continuity of care. Recruitment and retention of midwives are significant issues, particularly in rural areas. CONCLUSION: Staffing in postnatal wards is a challenging issue, and varies with hospital locality and model of care. Staff/patient ratios and recruitment of midwives in rural areas are the two areas that appear to have the greatest negative impact on staffing adequacy and provision of quality care. Future research on postnatal care provision should include consideration of any impact on staff and staffing.

[Hospital practice in neonatal period to prevent infant sudden death syndrome]. / Síndrome de muerte súbita del lactante. Prevención en la práctica hospitalaria.

OBJECTIVE: To describe hospital care for newborns in the Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social (IMSS), as well as all the recommendations given to parents to prevent sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) at home. MATERIAL AND METHODS: There were twenty-eight IMSS hospitals randomly selected from four geographical areas of the country, under a stratified sampling method according to the number of births per year. The method used was newborns direct observation in the neonatal care areas, and to fill out a questionnaire applied by trained observers. This questionnaire was adapted from the Maternity Advice Study that includes hospital care for newborns and all the recommendations that parents have to do for newborns at home. RESULTS: The newborns in neonatal areas used to sleep in lateral position (80 and 67%). Baby cradles with medium firmness and elevated head-rest were predominant in the areas surveyed. Babies were generally wrapped-up from the neck to down, tightly enough that it prevented arm and leg movement. Parents received information on how to prevent SIDS at home, and up to 21% of them received no information at all. CONCLUSIONS: There were no specific practices at all the hospitals in this survey to diminish SIDS. It is necessary to organize specific health actions to diminish the risk of SIDS at home.

Safe Sleep for Hospitalized Infants.

BACKGROUND: The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) published expanded safe sleep guidelines in 2011. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this quality improvement project was to promote the AAP safe sleep recommendations and provide appropriate role modeling of these recommendations for hemodynamically stable infants throughout their hospital stay. DESIGN AND INTERVENTION: A safe sleep educational initiative for parents and hospital staff included an observation of infant sleep practice before and after the initiative and a pre- and posteducation questionnaire of nurses' knowledge, attitudes, and opinions. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: A Magnet-designated urban hospital that included 72 pediatric beds, a 60-bed NICU, and 41 mother-baby beds; and 658 pediatric and obstetric nurses. RESULTS: One-hundred percent of nurses received the educational intervention. Observations noted an improvement from 70% to 90% (p< 0.01) of infants in a safe sleep position when comparing pre- and postintervention results. There were some improvements in knowledge of and agreement with the AAP guidelines after the educational intervention, but not as much as expected. CONCLUSIONS: There was inconsistency between nursing knowledge and practice about safe infant sleep. Nurses were aware of the AAP recommendations, but it took time to achieve close to full compliance in changing clinical practice. Observation was an important part of this initiative to reinforce knowledge and role model best practice for parents.

The impact of national and international guidelines on newborn care in the nurseries of Piedmont and Aosta Valley, Italy.

BACKGROUND: Care procedures for preventing neonatal diseases are carried out according to nurseries' traditions and may be not consistent with the evidence based medicine issues. METHODS: A multi-centric survey was conducted in 2 Regions located in NW Italy (Piedmont and Aosta Valley) in order to collect information on some healthy newborn care procedures. During 2001, a questionnaire was sent to the chief pediatrician in charge to the all 33 nurseries of the region asking the methods used during 2000 as prevention of ophthalmia neonatorum, early and late hemorrhagic disease of newborn, umbilical cord care and recommendations of vitamin D administration. Thereafter, during 2004 the same questionnaire was sent to the 34 chief pediatrician of nurseries to evaluate if the procedures were changed during 2003 according to guidelines. The nurseries care for 32,516 newborns in 2000 and 37,414 in 2003. RESULTS: Aminoglycoside eyes drops as prevention of ophthalmia neonatorum were the first choice in both periods (23 out 33 nurseries in 2000 and 24 out 34 in 2003 p > 0.05; the corresponding figures for newborns were 18,984 out 32,516 newborns vs. 28,180 out of 37,414 p < 0.05). The umbilical cord care was carried out with alcohol in 12/33 centers (13,248 newborns) and dry gauze in 3/33 centers (2,130 newborns) in 2000, the corresponding figures in 2003 were 6/34 centers (p > 0.05), (6,380 newborns, p < 0.05) and 12/34 centers (p < 0.05), (18,123 newborns, p < 0.05). The percentage of newborns receiving of i.m. vitamin K. at birth increased during the study period (15,923/32,104 in 2000 vs. 19,684/37,414 in 2003, p < 0.01), but not the number of nurseries (16 in 2000 and 17 in 2003 p > 0.05). The numbers of parents of newborns who receive the recommendations of oral vitamin K during the first months life decreased from 2000 (25,516/30,606) to 2003 (29,808/37,414, p < 0.01) as well as for Vitamin D recommendation (14,582/30,616 in 2000 vs. 11,051/37,414 in 2003, p < 0.01). Oral vitamin K during the first months of life was recommended by 25 nurseries in 2000 and 27 in 2003 (p > 0.05), the corresponding figures for Vitamin D were 15 and 14 (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: In the present study a large variability of procedures among the nurseries was observed. During the study periods, guidelines and evidence based medicine issues have only partially modified the neonatal care procedures In Piedmont and Aosta Valley nurseries. These observations suggest to implement local forum/consensus conference to standardized procedures as much as possible.

Staff experiences in implementing guidelines for Kangaroo Mother Care--a qualitative study.

The aim of this study was to investigate staff experiences in implementing guidelines for Kangaroo Mother Care in neonatal care. The study was part of a randomized controlled trial, the overall goal of which was to assess the impact of external facilitation. A total of eight focus group interviews were held at two intervention and two control units. The establishment of a change team to implement the guideline resulted in activities that impacted staff behaviour, which in turn was perceived to influence patients' well-being. The guideline and contextual factors, such as leadership and staff colleagues' attitudes, were of significant importance in that process. The study intervention--facilitation--promoted implementation activities and was highly appreciated by the change teams. However, reviewing the development of events at one of the control units, the provided facilitation appeared to be no more effective than an improvement-focused organizational culture in which the nurse manager was actively involved in the change process. Overall, learning and behaviour change seemed to be a social phenomenon, something that greatly benefited from people's interaction with one another.

Trends in infant abductions (2005).

Infant kidnapping in healthcare facilities has been sharply reduced since the 1990s when educational programs and tagging systems were introduced. However, infant abductors in recent years have changed their methods of operation to meet improved nursery safeguards. In this updated report, the author warns of some new dangers posed by the Internet.

Should linen in newborn intensive care units be autoclaved?

The American Academy of Pediatrics' Standards and Recommendations for Hospital Care of Newborn Infants recommends that linen in newborn intensive care, intermediate care, continuing care and admission observation areas be autoclaved. Questionnaires sent to 269 directors of newborn intensive care units (69% returned) showed that 74% of the respondents do not autoclave linen used in their newborn intensive care unit. There were 284 linen cultures performed in our newborn intensive care unit where linen is not autoclaved; 68% of the cultures were positive, but only 2.5% had a colony count greater than 20 colonies per plate. The most common organisms obtained were Staphylococcus epidermidis, diphtheroids, and Micrococcus species. Two cultures grew Staphylococcus aureus, one colony and two colonies per plate. Three-factor analysis of variance showed that the location of the linen in the top of the pile exerted a statistically significant effect on the bacterial contamination rate. The fact that three fourths of neonatal intensive care centers in this country do not autoclave nursery linen, the lack of reports in the literature relating linen contamination to nosocomial infections, and the microbiologic results of this study suggest that the recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics merit further study and reevaluation.

Control of nosocomial respiratory syncytial viral infections.

We evaluated methods to control the spread of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) on our infants' ward during a community outbreak of RSV infection. Methods included isolation and cohorting of infected infants, strict handwashing, use of gowns, and the cohorting of staff to the ill infants. Of 123 infants studied, 36 were admitted with RSV infections. Of the remaining 87 contact infants, eight (19%) acquired nosocomial RSV disease. Three of the eight developed pneumonia and one died. Of the 43 staff members, 24 (56%) became infected and 82% were symptomatic. Four acquired repeated infections within weeks of the initial infection. Studies a year previously had revealed that 45% of contact infants and 42% of the staff had acquired nosocomial RSV infections. Thus, the employed procedures appeared to have decreased the transmission of RSV to infants but not to the staff. Staff may continue to be infected by large droplets from close contact with ill infants or by self-inoculation of contaminated secretions.

National nosocomial infections surveillance system (NNIS): description of surveillance methods.

The National Nosocomial Infections Surveillance System (NNIS) is an ongoing collaborative surveillance system sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to obtain national data on nosocomial infections. The CDC uses the data that are reported voluntarily by participating hospitals to estimate the magnitude of the nosocomial infection problem in the United States and to monitor trends in infections and risk factors. Hospitals collect data by prospectively monitoring specific groups of patients for infections with the use of protocols called surveillance components. The surveillance components used by the NNIS are hospitalwide, intensive care unit, high-risk nursery, and surgical patient. Detailed information including demographic characteristics, infections and related risk factors, pathogens and their antimicrobial susceptibilities, and outcome, is collected on each infected patient. Data on risk factors in the population of patients being monitored are also collected; these permit the calculation of risk-specific rates. An infection risk index, which includes the traditional wound class, is being evaluated as a predictor of the likelihood that an infection will develop after an operation. A major goal of the NNIS is to use surveillance data to develop and evaluate strategies to prevent and control nosocomial infections. The data collected with the use of the surveillance components permit the calculation of risk-specific infection rates, which can be used by individual hospitals as well as national health-care planners to set priorities for their infection control programs and to evaluate the effectiveness of their efforts. The NNIS will continue to evolve in finding more effective and efficient ways to assess the influence of patient risk and changes in the financing of health care on the infection rate.