Using the Healthcare Associated Infections (HAI) Data - Important Information to Consider

• More than one source of information should be used to judge the quality of healthcare. 
   
• Consider the advice of your physician and other sources when deciding where to receive your healthcare. 

• Your age, underlying illnesses, and severity of illness may give you a higher risk for infection.
   
• Healthcare facilities that treat more high-risk patients are more likely to report infections than facilities that care mainly for lower-risk patients.
   
• A higher rate of infection may indicate a true problem. It may also indicate that a particular healthcare facility does a better job than other facilities at identifying and reporting HAIs.
   
• All hospitals are required to use the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions (CDC), National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) system for identifying and reporting HAIs. It can be found at: https://www.cdc.gov/nhsn/. In some cases, defining and reporting HAIs using NHSN surveillance criteria is different than the physician's clinical judgement.t can b
   
• Data reported by hospitals are checked by staff of the Connecticut Department of Public Health, HAI Program, for completeness and accuracy.