NHSN overview

The NHSN is a secure, Internet-based surveillance system that expands and integrates patient and healthcare personnel safety surveillance systems managed by the Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In addition, facilities that participate in certain reporting programs operated by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) can do so through use of NHSN. Some U.S. states utilize NHSN as a means for healthcare facilities to submit data on healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) mandated through their specific state legislation. NHSN enables healthcare facilities to collect and use data about healthcare-associated infections, adherence to clinical practices known to prevent healthcare-associated infections, the incidence or prevalence of multidrug-resistant organisms within their organizations, trends and coverage of healthcare personnel safety and vaccination, and adverse events related to the transfusion of blood and blood products. The NHSN includes four components: Patient Safety, Healthcare Personnel Safety, Biovigilance, and Long-term Care Facility.January 2013