[Surveillance of nosocomial infections among very low birth weight infants in NEO-KISS: from a voluntary system to a mandatory regulation]

Abstract

Background: NEO-KISS is a national surveillance system generating reference data for nosocomial infections among very low birth weight infants (VLBW) and was established 2000 as a voluntary based system. Since 2006 exist an official decision that participation in NEO-KISS is a prerequisite for the care of VLBW at level III NICUs in Germany.

Method: Comparing the reference data before and after the resolution and analysing the structure and the infection rates between the departments participating since 2006 (new-departments) and the neonatology departments participating voluntary before 2006 (old-departments).

Results: Since 2006 the number of participating departments increased clarion. The characteristic of the 110 new-departments differs from the 46 old-departments in many ways. The old-departments treated more VLBW per month, have more beds and are located at larger hospitals. The distribution of the treated VLBW shows a trend to lower birth-weights in the old-departments. However, the comparison of the reference data 2005, generated only from data from old-departments, shows no systematic changes to the reference data 2006 (including data from numerous new-departments). Also the comparison of the infection rates from for an identical time period separated for new and old-departments shows only minor differences.

Conclusion: The inclusion of many new departments in NEO-KISS shows no influence to the reference data. And also the comparison of infection rates between new and old-departments shows no systematic discrepancy. It follows the unnecessary of separating the data from old-departments and new-departments and the appropriateness of the entire databank to generate the national reference data.