Chapter 32 – Information Technology
Linda K. Goss, MSN, RN-BC, CIC, COHN-S
Director, Infection Prevention and Control and
Vascular Access Specialist Team
University of Louisville Hospital
Faculty, University of Louisville School of Nursing
Louisville, Kentucky
ABSTRACT
Improved outcomes are the result of an effective infection prevention and epidemiology program. Information technology (IT) provides a means by which infection prevention data can be expeditiously collected, stored, analyzed, and reported. The role of technology in infection prevention and control has increased with the prominence of issues related to security, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), bioterrorism preparedness, syndromic surveillance, and, most recently, release of a plan for prevention of healthcare-associated infections by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).1 IT continues to play an important role as infection preventionists investigate ways to meet requirements set forth for data availability and public reporting.
Last Revised: 12/13/09 6:46 PM
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