The Leapfrog Group released its spring 2023 Hospital Safety Grade data. The Safety Grades show an average risk of three healthcare-associated infections (HAIs)— including Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI) and catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI)—spiked to a 5-year high in hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic and remain high. They also show a continued decline in patient experience measures, which are reported by patients and correlated with patient outcomes.
The Leapfrog Group compared this Safety Grade cycle’s infection data, which covered late 2021 and 2022, to the 2021 Safety Grades, covering the period immediately prior to the COVID-19 outbreak. The analysis found that:
- Average CLABSI standard infection ratio increased by 60%;
- Average MRSA standard infection ratio increased by 37%; and
- Average CAUTI standard infection ratio increased by 19%.
The 2023 spring Safety Grades measure six different HAIs using the standardized infection ratio, a statistic that compares the actual number of HAIs at each hospital to the predicted number of infections. Although MRSA, CLABSI and CAUTI worsened, Clostridioides difficile (C. Diff) improved 15% from spring 2021 to spring 2023 and there was not a significant change for surgical site infections following surgery.
Read more:
Leapfrog Group Hospital Safety Grade: https://www.hospitalsafetygrade.org/