Interpretation of the Notice on Strengthening the Hospital Infection Outbreak Report

(chinadaily.com.cn)

Updated: 2014-06-09

Recently, the General Office of the National Health and Family Planning Commission issued the Notice on Strengthening the Hospital Infection Outbreak Report to Standardize Relevant Work. Interpretation of the Notice is as follows:

Background

Hospital infection outbreaks are key reflections of hospital infection hazards and an important part of hospital infection management. Strengthening the hospital infection outbreak report, related data analysis and utilization will help promote early reporting and timely treatment of hospital infections, as well as improve infection monitoring, prevention and control by health and family planning administrative departments and medical institutions at various levels. Since 2009, this Commission issued the Hospital Infection Outbreak Report and Treatment Management Standards (No 73, 2009) and the Notice on Uniform Use of Hospital Infection Outbreak Information Reporting System (No 815, 2011) based on the requirements of the Law on Prevention and Control of Infectious Disease and the Hospital Infection Management Methods. It clarified responsibilities and treatment standards in reporting hospital infection outbreaks, established information reporting channels and launched the national hospital infection outbreak information report work.

The Notice strived for effective and accurate use of the national hospital infection outbreak information reporting platform, and aimed to improving relevant mechanisms as well as timeliness and validity of information reports.

Contents

1. Clarify purpose and significance of hospital infection outbreak report.

Information report work is a lawful responsibility that health and family planning administrative departments and medical institutions have to fulfill. Hospital infection outbreak reports will help boost understanding of the status quo, find problems in time and sustainably improve medical quality.

2. Standardize reporting procedures of medical institutions and health and family planning administrative departments.

Medical institutions are required to have an accurate grasp on information reporting standards, especially for suspicious hospital infection outbreaks. By the principle of minimizing damages to patients, relevant department should take the initiative to contact superior health and family planning departments for technical support and confirmation. Health and family planning administrative departments at various levels should have a clear procedure to follow in reviewing and confirming the hospital infection outbreak investigation report.

3. Carry out quality control over report data

Medical institutions should make horizontal comparison of case reports from provinces (regions and municipalities), find outliers based on regional differences, analyze and make improvements. They should make vertical analyses of annual report data and find trends and abnormal factors. The notice also asked institutions to report hospital infection outbreaks of 2013 in regions where monitoring systems have been established, and compare them with the national hospital infection outbreak information reporting platform for report data correction.

4. Strengthen information feedback The notice urged institutions to strengthen data analysis and use in relevant reports and set up an information feedback system. Institutions should produce predictive and regular reports based on mega data analysis using the national hospital infection outbreak information reporting platform and continue to advance national hospital infection management work.