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. 2020 Jan;37(2):166-173.
doi: 10.1055/s-0039-1688481. Epub 2019 Apr 30.

Disparities in Health Care-Associated Infections in the NICU

Jessica Liu  1   2 , Charlotte Sakarovitch  3   4 , Krista Sigurdson  1   2 , Henry C Lee  1   2 , Jochen Profit  1   2
Affiliations

Disparities in Health Care-Associated Infections in the NICU

Jessica Liu et al. Am J Perinatol. 2020 Jan.

Abstract

Objectives: This study aimed to examine multilevel risk factors for health care-associated infection (HAI) among very low birth weight (VLBW) infants with a focus on race/ethnicity and its association with variation in infection across hospitals.

Study design: This is a population-based cohort study of 20,692 VLBW infants born between 2011 and 2015 in the California Perinatal Quality Care Collaborative.

Results: Risk-adjusted infection rates varied widely across neonatal intensive care units (NICUs), ranging from 0 to 24.6% across 5 years. Although Hispanic infants had higher odds of HAI overall, race/ethnicity did not affect the variation in infection rates. Non-Hispanic black mothers were more likely to receive care in NICUs within the top tertile of infection risk. Yet, among NICUs in this tertile, infants across all races and ethnicities suffered similar high rates of infection.

Conclusion: Hispanic infants had higher odds of infection. We found significant variation in infection across NICUs, even after accounting for factors usually associated with infection.

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Conflict of interest statement

None declared.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Difference between unadjusted and adjusted rates of infection among all neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) (2011–2015).
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Differences in risk-adjusted infection rates between (A) non-Hispanic black versus non-Hispanic white infants, (B) Hispanic versus non-Hispanic white infants, and (C) Asian or Pacific Islander versus non-Hispanic white infants, according to low, medium, and high tertiles of infection.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Differences in risk-adjusted infection rates between (A) non-Hispanic black versus non-Hispanic white infants, (B) Hispanic versus non-Hispanic white infants, and (C) Asian or Pacific Islander versus non-Hispanic white infants, according to low, medium, and high tertiles of infection.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Differences in risk-adjusted infection rates between (A) non-Hispanic black versus non-Hispanic white infants, (B) Hispanic versus non-Hispanic white infants, and (C) Asian or Pacific Islander versus non-Hispanic white infants, according to low, medium, and high tertiles of infection.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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