Feeding back surveillance data to prevent hospital-acquired infections

We describe the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Nosoc omial Infections Surveillance system. Elements of the system critical for s uccessful reduction of nosocomial infection rates include voluntary partici pation and confidentiality; standard definitions and protocols; identificat ion of populations at high risk; site-specific, risk-adjusted infection rat es comparable across institutions; adequate numbers of trained infection co ntrol professionals; dissemination of data to health-care providers; and a link between monitored rates and prevention efforts.