MONTGOMERY-Alabama’s hospitals again outperformed the nation in the prevention of healthcare-associated infections. This was released in the 2012 annual infection report posted online today by the Alabama Department of Public Health. The report includes data reported by hospitals in 2012, along with a comparison to the data reported in 2011.
“Our hospitals performed better than the nation in all four categories being reported,”
Dr. donald Williamson
said Dr. Donald Williamson, state health officer. “In last year’s report, they were better in three of the four categories, which include catheter-associated urinary tract infections, central line-associated bloodstream infections and two types of surgical site infections. Not only do I want to congratulate hospitals, but I’d like to thank the members of the Alabama Healthcare Data Advisory Council and the ADPH staff who have worked very hard to ensure accurate reporting and to make the information as easy as possible to understand.”
The hospital-specific information allows consumers to review the data by region and by the volume of patients and may be found at adph.org. Additional information on infection prevention can be accessed at www.jointhehealthjourney.com.
“The goal of the statewide reporting is to provide useful information to the public and to encourage greater reductions in infections,” added Dr. Williamson. “Alabama’s hospitals are reducing infections. This report reflects the significant work of infection practitioners, nurses, physicians, and other hospital staff, and provides a great way for hospitals to identify and learn 
from top performers.”
Dr. Williamson added that the report should not take the place of discussions between patients and their physicians when choosing a hospital. “While this report is important and helpful, it should not be used as the sole factor in the selection of a hospital,” Dr. Williamson stated.
Mike Horsley
Mike Horsley, FACHE, president of the Alabama Hospital Association, echoed Dr. Williamson’s praise for hospitals and reinforced the goal of reducing infections. “All hospitals are striving to eliminate infections and have achieved much success. In a recent national project to reduce central line-associated bloodstream infections, Alabama’s hospitals had the second highest participation rate in the country and achieved a 53 percent reduction in two years. In addition, Alabama was the pilot for an automated infection surveillance system that has significantly reduced infections over the last 10 years and has become a model for other states.”
Horsley noted that while there is still work to be done on preventing infections, great progress is being made. He also applauded the work of the Alabama Healthcare Data Advisory Council in making meaningful information available to the public.
