A suburban hospital is undergoing an annual review by a health care accreditation organization. As part of the process, iatrogenic infection rates are assessed for all major hospital services. Inpatient surgical infection statistics for the last year are shown below. What is the case-fatality rate for methicillin-resistant S aureus surgical infections in this hospital?

Question

A suburban hospital is undergoing an annual review by a health care accreditation organization.  As part of the process, iatrogenic infection rates are assessed for all major hospital services.  Inpatient surgical infection statistics for the last year are shown below.  What is the case-fatality rate for methicillin-resistant S aureus surgical infections in this hospital?

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Case-fatality rate (CFR) is a measure of the severity of a disease or condition. It is defined as the proportion of reported cases of a specific disease or condition (eg, methicillin-resistant S aureus, [MRSA]) that are fatal within the population affected by the disease or condition over a specific time. The CFR can be calculated as the number of fatal cases of disease or condition divided by the total number of people with the disease or condition. In this scenario, 40 fatal and 70 nonfatal cases of MRSA infection are reported. Therefore, the CFR is: CFR = 40 / (40 + 70) = 40 / 110 (Choice A) This choice describes the ratio of fatal to nonfatal MRSA infection cases (40/70). (Choices C and D) These choices describe the proportion of MRSA deaths out of all surgical infection deaths (40/75 = 53/100). (Choice E) This choice describes the proportion of nonfatal cases of MRSA infection out of all nonfatal surgical infection cases (70/220). Educational objective: Case-fatality rate is calculated by dividing the number of fatal cases of a disease or condition by the total number of people with that disease or condition.

A Suburban Hospital Is Undergoing an Annual Review by a Health