Getting it right: automated surveillance of healthcare-associated infections

Healthcare-associated infections (HAI) such as surgical site infections and central line–associated bloodstream infections are among the commonest adverse events of medical care and are estimated to affect 6.5% of patients in acute care hospitals on any given day [[1], [2], [3]]. Surveillance of HAI and feedback of their rates, in particular within surveillance networks, is a key component of successful infection prevention programmes that provides caregivers and policy makers with the necessary information to identify areas of improvement and guide interventions [[4], [5], [6]].