CDC has released the NHSN December Newsletter, downloadable from http://www.cdc.gov/nhsn/newsletters/index.html . It includes summaries of upcoming deadlines, new Infection Prevention Audit Tools, the 2016 Annual Survey, and new Dialysis Event Surveillance questions:
- Upcoming deadlines include:
- Dialysis Events for July-September 2015 must be entered and corrected in NHSN by December 31, 2015; later entries will not be forwarded to CMS for consideration in the ESRD QIP
- Dialysis Events for October-December 2015 must be entered and corrected in NHSN by March 31, 2016
- Healthcare Personnel Influenza Vaccination data for 2015 must be entered and corrected by May 15, 2016
- New Infection Prevention Audit Tools include Audits of HD Station Routine Disinfection, and HD Injectable Medication Preparation and Administration. A summary of each Audit Tool’s results can be entered into NHSN
- The 2016 Outpatient Dialysis Center Practices Survey applies to facility staff and patients during the first week of February 2016, and should not be filled out prior to that
- Dialysis Event Surveillance for 2016 will include questions on dialyzer reuse, and whether each IV antimicrobial start occurred in the hospital or the facility
The Dialysis section of the Newsletter occupies pages 14 and 15.
