Pediatric ICUs have higher infection rates than adult ICUs
Patient Safety Monitor Insider
February 1, 2012
An investigation by Consumer Reports found that infection rates in pediatric intensive care units (ICU) are 20% higher than for adult ICUs. A study of data from 92 pediatric ICUs in 31 states revealed an average rate of 1.8 bloodstream infections for every 1,000 central line days for children. A few of the pediatric ICUs reported more than seven infections per 1,000 days, four times the national average for adult ICUs.
The study also showed the lack of publicly available infection rates. Less than half of the 423 pediatric ICUs in the U.S. allow patients to access this type of information, and not all states require hospitals to report infection data to the public. Of the hospitals reviewed and rated by Consumer Reports, the Medical University of South Carolina ranked the highest; the University of Virginia Medical Center and the Loyola University Medical Center received the lowest scores.
Source: ConsumerReports.org
