Several hospitals reported bloodstream infections in ICU patients have dropped by half over the last several years due to new procedures to keep intravenous lines cleaner, according to the report.
The report also suggests that physician and staff attitudes about HAIs are changing. In the past many believed HAIs were inevitable, but more recently, many physicians have begun to realize many HAIs are a result of preventable medical errors, according to the report.
Although the data has yet to be confirmed, experts believe the drop in HAIs is plausible, according to the report.
The drop comes just before the state is to release hospital infection data to the public. The data, which tracks hospital infections from July 2008-July 2009, will be released in March, according to the report.
Studies place the number of death due to HAIs at 90,000 annually — each of which can cost the healthcare system $50,000-$100,000.
Read the Boston Globe’s report on Massachusetts hospitals’ infection rates.
