TUESDAY, July 3 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has launched the National Healthcare Safety Network, a secure, Web-based infectious disease tracking system that is accessible to all health care facilities in the United States. The system enables data analysis and information sharing within and between facilities, with the option for institutions to make information available to the public.
"Opening this system to all hospitals is a milestone for health protection. Information is power, and the information tools that the National Healthcare Safety Network provides help health care facilities prevent health care-associated infections, including methicillin-resistant staph infections," said Denise Cardo, M.D., director of CDC's Division of Health Care and Quality Promotion.
The CDC's National Nosocomial Infection Surveillance system was the foundation of the new infection tracking system. According to the CDC, it has been the gold standard for tracking infections associated with health care for over 30 years. While the National Nosocomial Infection Surveillance system has approximately 300 participating institutions, the National Healthcare Safety Network already has 600 participants and expects that number to reach 1,000 in the coming months.
"The information collected from this system is essential to develop and maintain effective prevention programs at the local level. The information allows a hospital to track [its] progress and direct efforts toward patient safety improvement," said Cardo.
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