45% of hospitals have electronic surveillance systems to spot infections

Many hospitals use electronic surveillance systems to comb through patient EHRs, lab and pharmacy reports and additional data to figure out whether a patient has developed an infection from hospital care, according to a Bloomberg Businessweek report.

Lorren Pettit, a health IT researcher at HIMSS Analytics, found the prevalence of these systems has increased to roughly 45 percent, up from 25 percent in 2011, according to the report.

The electronic surveillance systems can identify an infection and send out an alert. According to a Wolters Kluwer manager cited in the report, it has the potential to reduce cases of infections such as C. difficile and urinary tract infections, and revolutionize HAI surveillance.

The electronic surveillance systems cost around $150,000 and are customizable for each hospital, Bloomberg Businessweek reported.

 

 

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