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​ECDC updated tools for point prevalence surveys of healthcare-associated infections and antimicrobial use in European acute care hospitals and long-term care facilities now available

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​Today, ECDC’s Healthcare-associated Infections Surveillance Network (HAI-Net) publishes a new version of the software application HelicsWin.Net. The new version features the updated module for the second ECDC point prevalence survey (PPS) of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and antimicrobial use in European acute care hospitals, taking place in 2016-2017.

​Today, ECDC’s Healthcare-associated Infections Surveillance Network (HAI-Net) publishes a new version of the software application HelicsWin.Net. The new version features the updated module for the second ECDC point prevalence survey (PPS) of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and antimicrobial use in European acute care hospitals, taking place in 2016-2017.

The objectives of the ECDC PPS in European acute care hospitals are:

  • to estimate the total burden (prevalence) of HAIs and antimicrobial use in acute care hospitals in the EU/EEA;

  • to describe patients, invasive procedures, infections (sites, microorganisms including markers of antimicrobial resistance) and antimicrobials prescribed (compounds, indications); 

  • to describe key structures and processes for the prevention of HAIs and antimicrobial resistance at the hospital and ward level in acute care hospitals in the EU/EEA;

  • to disseminate results to those who need to know at local, regional, national and EU level to e.g. raise awareness, to reinforce surveillance structures and skills and to identify issues that are common to EU/EEA Member States and set up priorities accordingly; and 

  • to provide a standardised tool for hospitals to identify targets for quality improvement.

Furthermore, HAI-Net also releases an updated version of its protocol for PPSs of HAIs and antimicrobial use in European long-term care facilities (LTCFs), as well as the corresponding validation protocol (HALT-3 project). These documents provide national survey coordinators and local data collectors (and national/regional validation teams) with the methodology, data collection forms and definitions of variables to collect as part of the third PPS of HAIs and antimicrobial use in LTCFs.

 

The objectives of the ECDC PPSs in European LTCFs are:

  • to provide EU/EEA Member States and LTCFs with a tool to follow trends in HAIs and antimicrobial use;

  • to identify priorities for national and local intervention measures and evaluate their implementation in EU/EEA Member States and LTCFs;

  • to estimate and monitor the burden of HAIs and antimicrobial use in LTCFs at national and European level.

The agreed periods to perform the PPSs, both in European acute care hospitals and in LTCFs, are from April to June 2016, September to November 2016, April to June 2017, and/or September to November 2017.

 
More information

Protocol for point prevalence surveys of healthcare-associated infections and antimicrobial use in European long-term care facilities, 2016–2017. Version 2.1.

Protocol for validation of point prevalence surveys of healthcare-associated infections and antimicrobial use in European long-term care facilities, 2016–2017. Version 1.1.

ECDC point prevalence survey of healthcare-associated infections and antimicrobial use in European hospitals 2011 – 2012

Point prevalence survey of healthcare-associated infections and antimicrobial use in European long-term care facilities. April–May 2013

Point prevalence survey of healthcare-associated infections and antimicrobial use in European long-term care facilities. May–September 2010

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