Key highlights from the updated data set include the following:
• Central line-associated bloodstream infections due to the use of intravenous catheters placed into large veins increased slightly from 2009-2010, though Iowa’s statewide average infection rate remains lower than the most recent national average rate.
• The data suggest that the trend in infections for heart surgery (coronary artery bypass graft) is decreasing. However, the trends in infections for colon, hip, and hysterectomy surgeries are increasing.
• The data suggest the three-year trend in MRSA surgical site infections and MRSA bloodstream infections are decreasing.
• The most recent healthcare worker immunization rate for Iowa hospitals was 92 percent for the 2010-2011 flu season, compared to nationally historic averages of approximately 49-57 percent.
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