Introduction. This report is a summary of the data collected and reported by hospitals participating in the National Nosocomial Infections Surveillance (NNIS) System from January 1992 through June 2004 and updates previously published data.

The NNIS System was established in 1970 when selected hospitals in the United States routinely began reporting their nosocomial infection surveillance data for aggregation into a national database. Hospitals participating in the NNIS System provide general medical-surgical inpatient services to adults or children requiring acute care. Identity of the nearly 300 hospitals currently participating in the NNIS System is confidential.

All NNIS data are collected using standardized protocols, called ‘‘surveillance components’’: adult and pediatric intensive care unit (ICU), high-risk nursery (HRN), and surgical patient. The components may be used singly or simultaneously, but once selected, they must be used for a minimum of 1 calendar month. All infections are categorized into major and specific infection sites using standard CDC definitions that include laboratory and clinical criteria.

FULL TEXT: National Nosocomial Infections Surveillance (NNIS) System Report