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Patient Safety Analysis Quick Reference Guides
These quick reference guides were created to help you understand, modify, and interpret your data using the NHSN application’s various analysis output (report) options for the NHSN Patient Safety Component. These guides serve as companions to the “Introduction to NHSN Analysis” training slideset.
- NHSN Treeview Quick Reference Guide [PDF – 544 KB]
- PSC Data Quality
- NHSN’s Guide to the SAAR [PDF – 2 MB]
- NHSN’s Guide to the SUR (2015 Baseline) [PDF – 28 Pages]
A comprehensive guide to the NHSN’s SUR, including significant factors used in the SUR calculations under the 2015 baseline. - NHSN’s Guide to the SIR (2015 Baseline) [PDF – 50 Pages]
A comprehensive guide to NHSN’s SIR, including risk factors used in the SIR calculations under the 2015 baseline. - NHSN SRIR/pSIR Guide [PDF – 2 MB]
Analysis Quick Reference Guides
- NHSN Treeview Quick Reference Guide [PDF – 544 KB]
- General Tips for NHSN Analysis [PDF – 111 KB]
- How to Generate Data Sets [PDF – 400 KB]
- How to Generate Participation Alerts Data Set (Group Users) [PDF – 400 KB]
- Keys to Success with the SIR
- How to Modify a Report [PDF – 375 KB]
- Exporting Modified Analysis Data Sets [PDF – 574 KB]
- Reporting Height and Weight for Procedures in NHSN [PDF – 361 KB]
- Reporting Procedure Duration [PDF – 500 KB]
- How to Add and Find the Patient Safety Component Annual Survey [PDF – 574 KB]
SIRs under the 2015 Baseline (Baseline Set 2)
- SSI Exclusion Criteria for SIR January 2016 [Video – 7 min]
- Troubleshooting CLABSI and CAUTI SIR [PDF – 123 KB]
- Troubleshooting MRSA and CDI LabID Event SIR [PDF – 218 KB]
- Troubleshooting Surgical Site Infection SIR [PDF – 151 KB]
SIRs under the Original Baseline (Baseline Set 1)
- How to Run and Interpret SUR Reports in NHSN [PDF – 146 KB]
- How to obtain rates/standardized infection ratios (SIRs) for a fiscal year or cumulative time period [PDF – 111 KB]
- How to obtain a line list of procedures [PDF – 500 KB]
- How to obtain an event line list that includes pathogen information [PDF – 148 KB]
- How to obtain a line list of summary data [PDF – 400 KB]
- How to obtain the dates when records were entered and modified in NHSN [PDF – 420 KB]
- How to obtain line list of duplicate procedures [PDF – 300 KB]
Targeted Assessment for Prevention (TAP) Reports
TAP Dashboard Guidance
TAP Report Reference Guides
Each of these guides will describe and provide an example of how to create, modify, and interpret the data displayed in a facility level TAP Report:
- CAUTI TAP Report Guide for a Facility User within NHSN [PDF – 396 KB]
- CLABSI TAP Report Guide for a Facility User within NHSN [PDF – 230 KB]
- CDI TAP Report Guide for a Facility User within NHSN [PDF – 178 KB]
- MRSA TAP Report Guide for a Facility User within NHSN [PDF – 350 KB]
Each of these guides will describe and provide an example of how to create, modify, and interpret the data displayed in a group level TAP Report:
Antimicrobial Use Option
SAARs
- NHSN’s Guide to the SAAR
- Keys to Success with the SAAR
- Antimicrobial Use SAAR Table
- Antimicrobial Use SAAR Table – By Location
- Antimicrobial Use – SAAR Bar Chart by Location
- Antimicrobial Use SAAR Baseline Rate Tables
- Antimicrobial Use SAAR Plot
Rate Table
Other Report Types
- Antimicrobial Use Line List
- Antimicrobial Use Bar Chart
- Antimicrobial Use Bar Chart – Selected Drugs
- Antimicrobial Use Pie Chart
Antimicrobial Resistance Option
SRIR & pSIR
- NHSN SRIR/pSIR Guide
- Standardized Resistant Infection Ratio (SRIR)
- Pathogen-specific Standardized Infection Ratio (pSIR)
Incidence & Prevalence
- Hospital-onset Antimicrobial Resistance Incidence Rate Table
- Community-onset Antimicrobial Resistance Prevalence Rate Table
- Outpatient Antimicrobial Resistance Prevalence Rate Table
- Hospital-onset Positive Culture Incidence by Organism Rate Table
- Community-onset Positive Culture Prevalence by Organism Rate Table
- Outpatient Positive Culture Prevalence by Organism Rate Table
Antibiogram
Drug-resistant Organisms
- Antimicrobial Resistant Organisms Line List
- Antimicrobial Resistant Organisms Frequency Table
- Antimicrobial Resistant Organisms Rate Table
Other Report Types
- Keys to Success with TAS
- NHSN TAS Guide [PDF – 2 MB]
- TAS Report – Facility-level [PDF – 573 KB]
- TAS Report – Location group-level [PDF – 582 KB]
- TAS Report – Location-level [PDF – 567 KB]
- TAS Report – Group-level [PDF – 654 KB]
- TAS Dashboard – Facility [PDF – 601 KB]
- TAS Dashboard – Group [PDF – 586 KB]
Each of these guides will describe and provide an example of how to create, modify, and interpret the data displayed in the output/report.
- Line List [PDF – 169K]
- Line List – Custom Field Variable Names [PDF – 476K]
- Frequency Table [PDF – 188K]
- Bar Chart [PDF – 239 KB]
- Pie Chart [PDF – 213 KB]
- Rate Table [PDF – 187K]
- Run Chart [PDF – 187 KB]
- SIR Table: Device-associated [PDF – 136K]
- SIR Table: Surgical Site Infections [PDF – 213K]
- SIR Table: MRSA/CDI LabID Events [PDF – 298K]
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Filter Output by Time Period [PDF – 143K]Explains how to filter any output option by a specific time period and includes a description for each of the date variable formats.
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Filter Output by Additional Criteria [PDF – 175K]
Explains how to filter any output by additional variables and criteria. -
Save Custom Output Options for Future Use [PDF – 152K]
Explains how to save modifications as a custom output option. -
Share Custom Output Options with Coworkers [PDF – 108K]
Explains how to publish custom output modifications to be used by other users in your facility. -
Export Data from NHSN [PDF – 177K]
Explains how to export your surveillance data and calculated rates and SIRs from NHSN into another compatible format. -
Run Multiple Output Options [PDF – 270K]
Explains how to run different output options at the same time, also referred to as an “Output Set”. -
Custom Fields [PDF – 161K]
Explains how to run analyses to include facility-defined custom variables (custom fields). - Using the Statistics Calculator [PDF – 400K]
Explains and provides examples on how to run statistical analyses on one or more measures using NHSN’s statistics calculator. - Displaying Descriptive Variable Names [PDF – 432 KB]
Explains how to apply the setting that displays descriptive variable names for across all NHSN analytic reports.
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- How to Set Up VAE and PedVAE Reporting per NHSN Protocol, November 2021 [PDF – 800 KB]
- How to Add and Analyze Surgeon Codes in NHSN, January 2021 [PDF – 1 MB]
- Using BSI Events Excluded from the CLABSI Numerator Line List, November 2023 [PDF – 400 KB]
- How to Determine Procedures Excluded from the SSI SIR: Universal Exclusion Criteria October 2024 [PDF – 366 KB]
- How to Determine Events Included in the SSI SIR – SSI Event Indicators December 2023 [PDF – 374 KB]
- Analyzing Procedure Closure Technique March 2014 [PDF – 121 KB]
- Analyzing MBI-LCBI CLABSI Data [PDF – 106 KB]
- Using the “SIR-CAUTI Data for Hospital IQR” Output Option November 2023 [PDF – 210 KB]
- Using the “SIR – CLABSI Data for Hospital IQR” Output Option November 2023 [PDF – 211 KB]
- Using the “SIR – MRSA Blood FacwideIN LabID Data for Hospital IQR” Report April 2018 [PDF – 300 KB]
- Using the “SIR – FacWideIN CDI LabID Data for Hospital IQR” Report January 2020 [PDF – 300 KB]
- Using the “SIR- Complex 30-Day SSI Data for Hospital IQR” Output Option December 2023 [PDF – 350 KB]
- October 2010: Special Edition [PDF – 557 KB]
- NHSN Data Quality Guidance Document, February 2021 [PDF – 1 MB]
- Analyzing HAI Data over a Time Period with Different Definitions [PDF – 146 KB]
- How to Run the Core Elements Line List within NHSN [PDF – 250 KB]
- How to Run the Priorities for Hospital Core Element Implementation Line List [PDF – 382 KB]
- Crosswalk of the Core Elements of Antibiotic Stewardship Mapping from the Patient Safety Annual Survey [XLS – 50 KB]
- Generating and Interpreting the SIR/SUR Percentile Distribution [PDF – 369 KB]
HAI Antimicrobial Resistance Output
- Antimicrobial Resistant Phenotype Definitions January 2022 [PDF – 250 KB]
- Line List-Antimicrobial Resistant Organisms December 2023 [PDF – 450 KB]
- Frequency Table-Antimicrobial Resistant Organisms January 2022 [PDF – 300 KB]
- Rate Table-Antimicrobial Resistance Percentages January 2022 [PDF – 300 KB]
- Using the HAI Pathogen Dashboard [PDF – 333 KB]
