A model for influences on reliable and valid health care-associated infection data.

Reliable surveillance data and continuous monitoring can provide useful information for clinicians and patients alike, by identifying areas needing improvement and demonstrating the effectiveness of interventions. Improving the rigor of health care-associated infection surveillance makes it possible to provide more valid and reliable information. We propose a model that can be used by infection control preventionists, researchers, and health planners and can serve as a trigger for understanding the influences on reliable and valid health care-associated infection data.