Mining For Hospital Infections
Researchers at UAB are using sophisticated computer technology to pinpoint pockets of antibiotic resistance and infection in long-term care facilities. "Hospital-acquired infections are among the leading causes of death in the United States," says Stephen Moser, Ph.D., a clinical researcher at UAB. "What's more, resistance to antibiotics is increasing faster than we can develop new drugs to take their place." Moser and colleagues are using a technique known as data mining to analyze information from hospital laboratories. Results from those analyses alert officials to outbreaks of infection or pockets where strains of bacteria might be growing resistant to antibiotics. Commonly used methods of infection control are not as accurate as surveillance by computer.
Contact Laura Mansfield, 205-934-3889 or [email protected].
RSS