A validation study of the first nationwide point prevalence survey for healthcare-associated infections in South Korea: overcoming methodological challenges

초록

Background: Point prevalence surveys (PPSs) of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) provide essential evidence for estimating national infection rates and burdens and for informing policy directions. Various methodological approaches have been adopted to enhance the validity of PPS data while ensuring their representativeness. Aim: This study aims to establish and implement a senior leadership team (SLT) to improve PPS data reliability, strengthen infection surveillance, and evaluate the effectiveness of this approach. Methods: The sample was randomly selected using systematic random sampling, with tertiary and general hospitals stratified according to the guidelines from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. A PPS manual was developed to standardize surveillance criteria, and an SLT was established. The SLT played a pivotal role throughout the PPS process, serving as experts in surveillance criteria development, training, consultation, and external validation (EV). Findings: The first national PPS conducted in South Korea among tertiary and general hospitals reported an HAI prevalence of 3.75%. The reference standard process, supported by the SLT and an EV framework, achieved a sensitivity of 99.1%, specificity of 97.2%, positive predictive value of 90.3%, and negative predictive value of 99.8%. Conclusion: The PPS experience and outcomes provide a critical foundation for the future development of a national infection surveillance system. Notably, the SLT represents an effective and innovative strategy for improving data accuracy and validity through EV methods. (c) 2026 The Healthcare Infection Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights are reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies.

키워드