The BD Protect infection surveillance and data management system, developed by epidemiologists, addresses multiple issues confronting healthcare administrators and public health officers, including the transmission of multidrug-resistant organisms in healthcare settings and escalating costs related to healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). The system works on three levels: from patient to patient; between patients and healthcare workers; and from community sources to healthcare settings. The software provides real-time tracking and analysis of potential infection-related events to improve infection prevention workflow, communications, and response time. Robust report capabilities enable analysis of infection rates, evaluation of patient risk factors, monitoring of preventive processes, and measurement of progress toward infection prevention and patient safety goals.

The healthcare management-software portfolio includes three modules; the first, BD Protect Infection Prevention, targets the reduction of HAIs in patients. The second, BD Protect Healthcare Worker Safety monitors employee vaccinations, testing, in-service education, injuries, and illnesses to protect both employees and patients. The third module, BD Protect Syndromic Surveillance, continuously analyzes emergency department (ED) patient data for reportable diseases and symptoms that could signal a possible community outbreak. It can also be used by health departments to collect and analyze community-wide data from multiple hospitals. The software also analyzes length of stay, isolation days, and infection costs, and supports antibiotic stewardship, enabling hospitals to reduce expenses while providing better patient care. The BD Protect system is a product of BD Diagnostics, a segment of BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company, Franklin Lakes, NJ, USA), and is available in both single-facility and enterprise-wide editions.

"Preventing the spread of infections is becoming more challenging each day,” said Tracy Gustafson, M.D., worldwide director of infection prevention-software development and medical affairs at BD Diagnostics. "The problem is magnified by global travel, new and more dangerous microbes, overuse and misuse of antibiotics, healthcare staffing cuts, and risks to immune-compromised patients. The BD Protect system provides actionable information that assists infection prevention professionals in making timely decisions.”

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