Study on the Efficacy of Nosocomial Infection Control (Senic Project): Summary of Study Design

With the emergence of nosocomial infections as a serious problem among US hospitals, the Center for Disease Control undertook in 1974 a nationwide study to evaluate approaches to infection control. The three-phased project, now known as the Study on the Efficacy of Nosocomial Infection Control, or SENIC Project, was designed with three primary objectives: 1) to determine whether (and, if so, to what degree) the implementation of infection surveillance and control programs (ISCPs) has lowered the rate ofnosocomi al infection, 2) to describe the current status of ISCPs and infection rates, and 3) to demonstrate the relationships among characteristics of hospitals and patients, components of ISCPs, and changes in the infection rate. With data collection completed in a nationally representative sample of hospitals, analysis is underway to identify approaches to infection control that are most effective for the least cost to hospitals and to point out additional specific questions to be answered by future research.