Wisconsin Hospitals Curb Most Infection Rates

Wisconsin's hospitals made significant headway in 2012 reducing infections their patients acquire during treatment, according to a new report released this week.

The report by the Wisconsin Division of Public Health concluded that the state's inpatient facilities had cut the rate of expensive to treat central line infections by 21% compared to 2011. Last year's central line infection rate was also 56% below the national average. Such an infection can often be eliminated entirely if a protocol developed by Johns Hopkins University is followed when inserting a central line.

Not only did the adult central line infection rate drop, so did the rate among patients in the neonatal intensive care unit, which was down 10% compared to 2011, and 56% below the national average.

The rate of the often deadly methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, infections, decreased 16% between 2011 and 2012.

Hospitals also showed advances in cutting surgical site and urinary tract infections, both of which were down by double digit percentages. Altogether, Wisconsin's hospitals avoided more 135 potential life-threatening infections among patients last year compared to 2011.

“That’s great news for Wisconsin health care consumers and very gratifying and encouraging for everyone involved in this important healthcare quality
improvement effort,” said Gwen Borlaug, the WDPH's coordinator for the hospital-acquired infection prevention program.

However, hospitals reported a rise of more than 40% in the increase of C. difficile infections, which often lead to deadly complications.

The WDPH did not provide any explanations for the decreases in infection rates, and suggested that a rise in the number of hospitals reporting contraction of C. difficile explained the increase.

The Wisconsin Hospital Association began an effort in 2009 to reduce the incidence of hospital-acquired infections, working with 42 facilities across the state in a variety of initiatives.