FAQs: Antimicrobial Resistance (AR) Option
General Submission Requirements
Q1: What does NHSN require for AR data submission?
If not already enrolled in NHSN, follow the 5-step process here: 5-Step Enrollment for Acute Care Hospitals/Facilities. If your facility is enrolled in NHSN and now wants to participate in the AR Option by submitting AR data to NHSN, then your facility must have an ADT system and an electronic Laboratory Information System (LIS) or electronic access to the required data elements. Your facility also should have the ability to package the data into the standardized format of Clinical Document Architecture (CDA) for upload into NHSN.
NHSN does not allow manual entry due to the amount of data submitted each month. As a result, many facilities use a vendor system to package and submit the AR data via CDA. There are several self-identified vendor systems supporting AR Option submission listed on the Society for Infectious Disease Pharmacistsexternal icon website. You may already use one of these vendors currently for the submission of other types of data to NHSN so start there to see if 1) your facility has the capability to submit these data already using your current vendor or 2) your current vendor offers this capability with an “add on” feature. Some facilities leverage internal IT/informatics resources to report these data. However, this does take specialized knowledge of coding and data aggregation. For this reason, NSHN does not recommend this option for most facilities.
You can find the details on what data are required to be reported on our NHSN AUR Module web page within the training slides and protocol.
If your facility is interested/considering taking up this work internally, you’ll find the AU and AR CDA toolkits which contain the sample CDA files, link to the CDA Implementation Guide, helpful hints, etc. on the CDA Portal website.
Q2: How do I create a Monthly Reporting Plan for the AR Option?
NHSN requires a Monthly Reporting Plan for every month that you plan to submit AR data.
- From the NHSN Homepage, select “Reporting Plan” from the left side menu.
- To add a new monthly reporting plan, click “Add”.
- Select the month and year for the AR data submission.
- Then scroll down to the “Antimicrobial Use and Resistance Module” section of the plan.
- See example screen shot and details below for guidance in selecting the Locations on Monthly Reporting Plan:
- Select FacWideIN and check the AR box to submit AR Option data for inpatient locations. Do not list individual inpatient locations in the AR Option plan.
- If applicable, select an allowed outpatient location type (specifically Emergency Department, Pediatric Emergency Department, and 24-hour Observation Area) and check the AR box to submit for that specific outpatient location. List the outpatient locations as separate lines in the monthly reporting plan as shown in the above example screenshot.
- Click the Save button at the bottom of the screen.
Q3: Can we submit AR Option data if we’re not submitting Antimicrobial Use (AU) data?
Yes. Facilities can submit AR Option data separately without submitting AU Option data.
Q4: What specimen sources are acceptable for AR reporting?
Your facility can report all specimen sources included in the Specimen Source tab of the Information Data Model (IDM) spreadsheet with an “X” in the “Valueset: ARSpecimenSource” column to the AR Option. The Specimen Source tab in the IDM provides further breakdown of the specimen sources into the specific categories outlined in the AR Option Protocol:
- Specimen category = Non-invasive
- AR_LRI Specimen = Lower Respiratory
- AR_Urine Specimen = Urine
- Specimen category = Invasive
- AR_Blood Specimen = Blood
- AR_CSF Specimen = Cerebral Spinal Fluid
The IDM is found within the AR Tool Kit located on the CDA Portal website.
Q5: I’m from a state health department. Could you tell me the names and NHSN OrgIDs of the facilities submitting AR and AU data from my state?
NHSN’s updated Agreement to Participate and Consent allows the NHSN Team to share specific information with State & Local Health Departments for prevention purposes such as the NHSN OrgIDs and facility names of those submitting AU and/or AR data into NHSN.
Q6: How can I remove missing AR Event data alerts?
If you want to include these months in AR reporting, you’ll need to submit the AR event CDA files for the month(s) listed in your alerts. If you thought you’d already uploaded these data, there’s a good chance an error occurred during the original upload process and these specific files failed to import. During the re-submission process, make sure they pay special attention to any errors that may show up on the PDF submission report. Once you’ve uploaded these data, be sure to generate new datasets.
Alternatively, if you do not have AR event data to submit for the month(s) in your alerts, you can check the report no events box for the month(s) in question on the Alerts screen. View our guide for more information on how to report no events pdf icon[PDF – 500 KB].
CMS Reporting
Q7: Is reporting into the Antimicrobial Resistance Option required by CMS?
CMS has not included Antimicrobial Use (AU) and Antimicrobial Resistance (AR) Module reporting in the Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting Program. However, the submission of data into the NHSN AU and AR Options via Clinical Document Architecture (CDA) is part of Promoting Interoperability Program (formally known as Meaningful Use Stage 3) for Public Health Registry reporting for eligible hospitals as outlined on CDC Meaningful Use website. Submitting AUR Module data into NHSN will be the only part of NHSN reporting that qualifies for Promoting Interoperability participation.
Q8: If my facility voluntarily submits data into the Antimicrobial Resistance (AR) and/or Antimicrobial Use (AU) Options, will NHSN share those data with CMS?
No. There are no CMS Quality Reporting Programs that include data submitted into the AR and AU Options. Therefore, NHSN will not share any AR and AU data your facility submits to NHSN with CMS.
Q9: We are currently only submitting AR Option data into NHSN, can we participate in the Promoting Interoperability Program (formally Meaningful Use Stage 3)? Does submitting only AR Option data meet submission requirements?
In order to get credit for participation in the Promoting Interoperability Program, CMS requires facilities to submit both AR and AU Option data. Keep in mind that submitting AR and AU Option data is just one option to satisfy the Public Health Registry reporting requirement for Promoting Interoperability Program.
Data Import
Q10: When can I upload AR Summary and AR Event CDA files in NHSN?
The AR Summary CDA file is a summary of the entire month and facilities should not submit the AR Summary CDA file to NHSN any earlier than the first day of the subsequent month. For example, a facility may upload October AR Summary data beginning November 1. An AR Event CDA file represents a specific specimen with one organism and its antimicrobial susceptibility data.
NHSN recommends that facilities submit both AR Summary and AR Event data files to NHSN for a given calendar month by the end of the subsequent calendar month in order to make the data most actionable by your facility. However, facilities should wait at least seven calendar days following the end of the month before submitting data to ensure the lab completed all susceptibility testing and reported results back to the EHRs.
Q11: Can we submit AR and AU CDA files together in the same CDA zip file?
Yes, but for manual upload, all the files in the zipped file must be from one facility. If submitting files via DIRECT CDA Automation, the zipped file can contain CDA files for multiple facilities. For both manual and DIRECT CDA Automation submission, the zipped CDA file can contain up to 1000 files or be 2 MB in size, whichever comes first. Please note, the application only allows alphanumeric, hyphen, and underscores in the CDA file names and zip file names. The application does not allow special characters in file or zip file names.
Q12: How far back can we submit AR Option data?
A facility can submit AR Option data as far back as January 2012, if they have existing Monthly Reporting Plans during that time, or January of the previous calendar year (if no Monthly Reporting Plans previously existed).
Below are two scenarios to help explain this:
- Facility A has existing NHSN Monthly Reporting Plans going back to January 2016. They can edit the Monthly Reporting Plan to add AUR Module locations for back to January of 2016 and hence submit AR Option data back to January 2016.
- Facility B does not have any Monthly Reporting Plans in NHSN (meaning they didn’t even have reporting plans for HAI data). They can add Monthly Reporting Plans going back to the January of the year they enrolled in NHSN or back to the January of one calendar year in the past, whichever comes first.
- If the facility enrolled in January 2019 and it’s December 2019: they can add Monthly Reporting Plans with AUR Module locations back to January 2019 and hence submit AR Option data back to January 2019.
- If the facility enrolled in January 2018 and it’s December 2019: they can add Monthly Reporting Plans with the AUR Module locations back to January 2018 and hence submit AR Option data back to January 2018.
Q13: What locations are eligible for AR Option Event reporting?
NHSN strongly encourages reporting specimens from all NHSN defined inpatient locations (including inpatient procedural areas like operating rooms) and three select outpatient locations: Emergency Department (ED), Pediatric Emergency Department, and 24-hour Observation Area at each facility.
Q14: When trying to import an AR Event CDA file I received the following error: Unable to determine panel drug size. What does this mean?
Depending on the organism reported, the NHSN application requires you to include specific drugs in the CDA file. The list of drugs for each organism is called the drug panel and each panel varies with the number of drugs included. The organism and corresponding drug panel can be found in Appendix F of the AUR Module Protocol pdf icon[PDF – 1 MB]. Work with your vendor to ensure the CDA file includes all required drugs. The CDA file must include all drugs in the specific panel regardless of whether the lab tested them.
Data Deletion
Q15: We noticed a mistake in our AR Summary record. Can I just resubmit the file?
There are two options:
- Manually delete and re-upload a new file
- Use Succession Management within vendor software
Manual Deletion: To manually delete the record, log into NHSN, select ‘Summary Data’ from the navigation menu on the left side and then select ‘Delete AUR Data’. Use the Summary Data Type drop down menu to select ‘Antimicrobial Resistance Data.’ Select the default Location Code of FACWIDEIN, and use the Month and Year drop down menus to select the month/year you’d like to delete from NHSN. Then click the ‘Delete’ button to delete the record. See the screen shot below for reference.
Succession Management: Your vendor software may be able to automatically update AR summary files in NHSN using succession management. Many vendors have implemented this feature by allowing users to simply export a new version of the file but be sure to work with your vendor to determine if this approach is appropriate for you.
Q16: We noticed a mistake in our AR Event record. Can I just resubmit the file?
There are two options:
- Manually delete and re-upload a new file
- Use Succession Management within vendor software
Manual Deletion: To manually delete the event record, log into NHSN, select ‘Event’ from the navigation menu on the left side and then select ‘Find’. Use the Event Type drop down menu to select ‘AR – Antimicrobial Resistance’ and optionally input any other identifying information. Select ‘Find’.
Next locate the AR Event you want to delete on the Event List table. Check the box in the Delete column next to the AR Event. Click the ‘Delete’ button at the top of the column to delete the event.
Succession Management: Your vendor software may be able to automatically update AR Event files in NHSN using succession management. Many vendors have implemented this feature by allowing users to simply export a new version of the file but be sure to work with your vendor to determine if this approach is appropriate for you.
Q17: How do I know if all the CDA files I am submitting together in the same zip file were successfully uploaded into NHSN?
Sometimes when you are uploading multiple AR files together, some will successfully upload, and others will not. Here is a screenshot of what it looks like when you submit files together and you have some records pass and others fail. Note that both the Error Report and Submit buttons are enabled.
If you click on the Events tab in the Validation Results table, you can see the files that passed validation and failed by looking in the Status column. In this instance, you submitted eight records. Three passed validation and five failed. When you click the Submit button, the application will only accept the three files that successfully passed validation. The PDF report generated after you click the Submit button will also show the file(s) that successfully imported and the files that did not pass NHSN validation and were therefore not imported.
Q18: When I try to upload my AR files, I get an error message that says, “Antimicrobial Use and Resistance Module not followed for this month, year, and location.” What does that mean and how do I fix it?
If you receive this error for a specimen collected in an inpatient location, it means that you have not included FacWideIN for this month and year in the Antimicrobial Resistance portion of your Monthly Reporting Plan. If you receive this error for a specimen collected in a 24-hour Observation Unit, Emergency Department or Pediatric Emergency Department then you have not included that location for that month and year in the Antimicrobial Resistance portion of your Monthly Reporting Plan. Therefore, you’ll need to add the location(s) (either FacWideIN or the specific outpatient location) to the Antimicrobial Resistance portion of your Monthly Reporting Plan for every month you plan to submit AR data. NHSN will not accept any data that is out of plan. To edit your Antimicrobial Resistance monthly reporting plan, follow the steps in question #2. After you have edited your monthly reporting plan to include the AR data you are wanting to upload, NHSN should accept the CDA file for that month, year, and location.
If you have verified FacWideIN or the specific 24-hour observation unit, Emergency Department or Pediatric Emergency Department is on your monthly reporting plan, incorrect location information in your CDA file could be the cause of this error. The CDA file must match the exact “Your Code” value as well as the “NHSN HL7 code” and location type for each location to the values in the NHSN Location Manager. To see your NHSN location manager, select Facility in the left-hand navigation bar and then Locations and Find. We suggest you reach out to your vendor to verify the location information in NHSN matches the information in the CDA files you are uploading.
Duplicate Rules
Q19: Do the 14-day (blood & CSF) and 1 per month (urine & lower respiratory) duplicate rules extend across calendar months?
The 14-day duplicate rule for invasive specimens (blood & CSF) does extend across calendar months. Even across calendar months there should be 14 days with no positive culture result from the laboratory for the patient and specific organism SNOMED code before your facility can report another invasive source AR Event in NHSN for the same patient and specific organism SNOMED code. See the below example to visualize the 14-day duplicate rule for invasive sources:
| Date | Lab Result | Reported to NHSN? | Justification |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 15 | Staph aureus isolated from blood culture | Yes | Patient’s first blood culture of admission; Staph aureus is isolated; AR event reported |
| January 28 | Staph aureus isolated from blood culture | No | <14 days since last positive culture (Jan 15) of Staph aureus |
| February 3 | Staph aureus isolated from CSF culture | No | <14 days since last positive culture (Jan 28) of Staph aureus |
| February 20 | Staph aureus isolated from blood culture | Yes | >14 days since last positive culture (Feb 3) of Staph aureus; AR event reported |
The 1 per month duplicate rule for non-invasive specimens (urine or lower respiratory) does not extend across calendar months. For urine and lower respiratory specimen isolates, report the first non-invasive source AR Event per month. Report no more than 1 non-invasive specimen per patient per organism to NHSN per calendar month. See the below example to visualize the 1 per month duplicate rule for non-invasive sources:
| Date | Lab Result | Reported to NHSN? | Justification |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 1 | Staph aureus isolated from urine | Yes | Patient’s first non-invasive specimen of the month; Staph aureus is isolated; AR event reported |
| January 20 | Staph aureus isolated from urine | No | Still same month (Jan) as the non-invasive specimen Staph aureus reported to NHSN |
| January 31 | Staph aureus isolated from lower respiratory culture | No | Still same month (Jan) as the non-invasive specimen Staph aureus reported to NHSN |
| February 3 | Staph aureus isolated from urine | Yes | Patient’s first non-invasive specimen of new month (Feb); Staph aureus is isolated; AR event reported |
Q20: Do the 14-day (blood & CSF) and 1 per month (urine & lower respiratory) duplicate rules extend across patient admissions?
Both the 14-day duplicate rule for invasive specimens (blood & CSF) and 1 per month duplicate rule for non-invasive specimens (urine & lower respiratory) extend across patient admissions. See the examples below for clarification.
Invasive specimen (blood & CSF) example of the 14-day rule for a specific organism from a single patient across admissions:
| Date | Lab Result | Reported to NHSN? | Justification |
|---|---|---|---|
| July 1 | Escherichia coli isolated from blood culture in Medical Ward | Yes | Patient’s first blood culture of inpatient admission; Escherichia coli is isolated; Report AR Event into NHSN. |
| July 4 | Patient discharged from facility | ||
| July 7 | Escherichia coli isolated from blood culture in Emergency Department | No | It has been less than 14 days since the last positive culture (July 1) from the patient isolating E. coli. |
| July 17 | Escherichia coli isolated from blood culture in Medical Ward | No | It has been less than 14 days since the last positive culture (July 7) from the patient isolating E. coli. |
Non-invasive specimen (urine & lower respiratory) example of the 1 per month rule for a specific organism from a single patient across admissions:
| Date | Lab Result | Reported to NHSN? | Justification |
|---|---|---|---|
| July 1 | Escherichia coli isolated from urine in Medical Ward | Yes | Patient’s first urine specimen of inpatient admission; Escherichia coli is isolated; Report AR Event into NHSN. |
| July 15 | Patient discharged from facility | ||
| July 31 | Escherichia coli isolated from urine in Emergency Department | No | Still same month (July) as the non-invasive specimen E. Coli reported to NHSN |
| August 3 | Escherichia coli isolated from urine in Medical Ward | Yes | Patient’s first non-invasive specimen of new month (Aug); E. coli is isolated; AR event reported |
Q21: Do the duplicate rules apply to specimens collected while the patient was at another healthcare facility?
No. The 14-day duplicate rule for invasive specimens (blood & CSF) & 1 per month duplicate rule for non-invasive specimens (urine & lower respiratory) apply only to those specimens collected in the reporting facility. Do not include specimens obtained while the patient was at another healthcare facility in the 14-day (blood & CSF) or 1 per month (urine & lower respiratory) calculations.
Q22: Do the 14-day (blood & CSF) and 1 per month (urine & lower respiratory) duplicate rules apply to multiple pathogens identified across a 14-day period?
No. The duplicate rules are specific to a single pathogen. If the laboratory identifies another pathogen, regardless of the specimen source or the date the previous pathogen was identified, this is not considered a duplicate event. The subsequent pathogen should be reported as an AR event.
See the example below for clarification.
| Date | Lab Result | Reported to NHSN? | Justification |
|---|---|---|---|
| July 1 | Escherichia coli isolated from blood culture in Medical Ward | Yes | Patient’s first blood culture of inpatient admission; Escherichia coli is isolated; Report AR Event into NHSN. |
| July 3 | Escherichia coli isolated from blood culture in Medical Ward | No | It has been less than 14 days since the last positive culture (July 1) from the patient isolating E. coli. |
| July 3 | Staph aureus isolated from blood culture in Medical Ward | Yes | Patient’s first blood culture of Staph aureus is isolated; Report AR Event into NHSN. |
Laboratory Testing Results
Q23: Should I report preliminary antimicrobial susceptibility test results to NHSN?
No. Report only final or corrected susceptibility testing results should to NHSN. Do not report preliminary laboratory results for NHSN AR Option reporting. Facilities should wait at least seven calendar days following the end of the month before submitting data to ensure the lab completed all susceptibility testing and reported results back to the EHRs.
Q24: If I’m not able to send susceptibility data for specific tests (MIC, E-Test, KB), can I still participate in AR reporting?
Yes, facilities can still participate if they are still able to send the final interpretation provided by the lab for the given drug. NHSN requires the specific test result interpretations for MIC, E-Test, and KB are included in the AR Event CDA file. However, if your facility cannot send these data, report these tests as “Not Tested” in the CDA file.
Q25: My laboratory suppresses some susceptibility test results. Can I still participate in the AR Option if I’m unable to send all susceptibility results?
Make every effort to report all antimicrobial resistance data that meets the NHSN protocol requirements regardless of whether those data are supposed from clinical end users. However, if your facility cannot obtain and/or send suppressed data to the NHSN AR Option, NHSN will accept the data your facility is able to provide. Please be sure that your vendor is using ‘Not Tested’ for the unavailable tests/drugs. The NHSN application will not accept AR Event CDA files that do not contain all the required drugs for a given organism.
Q26: Would I report an isolate to the AR Option if all drugs tested were Susceptible?
Yes. Include all drugs in the specific organism’s drug panel in the AR Event file regardless of susceptibility results.
Q27: Would I report an isolate to the AR Option if my laboratory did not test for all required antimicrobials but did test at least one non-required drug?
Yes. Isolates where the laboratory did not test for all NHSN required antimicrobials but did test for at least one non-required antimicrobial should be considered eligible to be reported into NHSN. For example, if your laboratory tested a Staphylococcus aureus isolate for the non-required drug, oritavancin, but not for any NHSN required antimicrobials, that isolate would still be considered eligible for reporting to the AR Option. In this case, your facility would report “Unknown” or “Not Tested” for the required antimicrobials.
Q28: Would I report an isolate if my laboratory did not perform any susceptibility testing?
No. Your facility must perform at least one antimicrobial test for an isolate to be eligible for inclusion in the AR Option. For example, if your facility does not routinely perform susceptibility testing on Candida albicans isolates from non-invasive sites, you would not include these Candida albicans isolates from urine specimen in AR event reporting. However, if a provider requested testing on a Candida albicans isolate and your laboratory performed at least one antimicrobial test then this Candida albicans isolate from a urine specimen isolate would be eligible for inclusion in the AR Option, and should be reported regardless of the result of this test.
Q29: If the laboratory reports additional information beyond required drugs in the NHSN drug panels, should I report those drugs to NHSN?
No. Do not report additional drugs to NHSN. NHSN will only accept the drugs listed in the specific organism’s drug panel.
Q30: If the PBP2a and/or PCR mec-gene variables are not available from the electronic data for Staphylococcus aureus, should I still report this organism to NHSN?
NHSN requires Staphylococcus aureus isolate CDA files include the PBP2a and PCR mec-gene test variables. However, facilities unable to electronically obtain the results of the PBP2a-agglutination and/or PCR mec-gene tests for Staphylococcus aureus may report “Unknown” for these specific tests in the AR Event CDA file.
Q31: If my laboratory performs the same specific test (E-Test, MIC, KB) on the same isolate but they produce conflicting results, what should we report to the NHSN application for the final interpretation?
Report the final interpretation provided by the laboratory.
If your laboratory provides no final interpretation, then report the most resistant interpretation (NS > R > I > S-DD > S > NT). For example, if your laboratory performs two E-Tests for the same drug on the same isolate and one produces “Intermediate” and the other produces “Susceptible”, report “Intermediate” as the final interpretation for that specific drug susceptibility.
Q32: If my laboratory performs multiple specific antimicrobial tests (E-Test, MIC, KB) on the same isolate and they produce conflicting results, what should we report to the NHSN application for the final interpretation?
Report the final interpretation provided by the laboratory.
If your laboratory provides no final interpretation, then report the most resistant specific test interpretation as the final interpretation (NS > R > I > S-DD > S > NT). For example, if drug susceptibility results produced MIC = “Resistant” and E-Test = “Intermediate” but your laboratory provides no final interpretation, report “Resistant” as the final interpretation for that specific drug susceptibility.
Q33: If two isolates from the same day have conflicting susceptibilities to the panel of antimicrobials tested, which isolate should I report?
Report the isolate with the most resistant final interpretation (NS > R > I > S-DD > S > NT). If your laboratory does not provide a final interpretation, report the isolate with the higher amount of drug resistance based on the number antimicrobials testing “NS” or “R”. If it cannot be determined which isolate is the most resistant, report the isolate that was the first entered into the Laboratory Information System.
For example, suppose the laboratory isolates Candida albicans from two blood specimens collected from the same patient on the same calendar day and provided no final interpretation. The first isolate tested resistant to three of the eight antimicrobials tested and the second isolate tested resistant to four of the eight antimicrobials tested. Report the second isolate to NHSN since it showed the higher amount of resistance.
Q34: If my LIS does not differentiate between Penicillin G and Penicillin V, how should I report my penicillin susceptibility results?
If the LIS does not differentiate between Penicillin G and Penicillin V, list susceptibility results under Penicillin G and indicate report Penicillin V as not tested (NA).
Q35: If my LIS produces meningitis and non-meningitis breakpoint results, which should I report to the NHSN application?
If the LIS produces meningitis and non-meningitis breakpoint results, rely on the specimen source to determine which susceptibility results to report. If the specimen source is CSF report the meningitis breakpoint susceptibility. If the specimen source is blood, urine, or lower respiratory report the non-meningitis breakpoint susceptibility.
Q36: Will the NHSN application add the D-Test or other testing methods to the AR Option requirements?
No. At this time, NSHN will not add additional laboratory testing methods, such as the D-Test to the AR Option requirements.
AR Summary Data
Q37: How do I count patient admissions for AR or AU calculations when a patient’s stay extends from one month to another?
The day a patient enters the door to a facility, or a location is the date of their admission to that facility or specific location. If the facility does not discharge the patient, then that stay is all part of that same admission, no matter how long. A stay that continues across multiple months is still only one admission.
If the patient discharges and then returns on a separate calendar day, then count the patient as a new admission with a new admission date. If the patient discharges and then returns on the same calendar day, then count the patient as another admission since a single patient can only attribute 1 admission per calendar day to the monthly total.
Q38: Are Patient Days and Admissions reported for outpatient locations for the AR Option?
While facilities can submit AR events from outpatient locations (Emergency Department, Pediatric Emergency Department and 24-hour observation area), Patient Days and Admissions are not reported for outpatient locations for the AR Option. Additionally, outpatient locations are not included in the FacWideIN patient day and admission counts.
Q39: Is the number of blood cultures performed in each month still required for reporting AR Option data to NHSN?
This variable was removed from the NHSN AR Option protocol, but the field is still required for valid import of the CDA. Facilities can enter dummy data since the application will not save that value in the NHSN database.
AR Option Analysis
Q40: How do I view my AR Option data once I’ve uploaded it into NHSN?
Users can view AR Option data using the NHSN Analysis function. Specific details on the AR Option analysis can be found in the protocol or in the Analysis Resources section of the NHSN AUR Module webpage. Additionally, the Antimicrobial Resistance Event Line List pdf icon[PDF – 1 MB] and Antimicrobial Resistance Denominator Line List pdf icon[PDF – 500 KB] Quick Reference Guide has been developed to assist with viewing, modifying, and interpreting the AR Option event and summary data.
Remember to generate data sets within your NHSN facility before running your analysis reports so the data set includes any newly uploaded data. See question Q41 below for information on generating data sets.
Q41: I uploaded AR Option data but I don’t see it when I run my reports within analysis. What happened to my data?
Newly uploaded data won’t appear in the analysis reports until you generate a new data set within NHSN. The data set is a snapshot of the data currently in your NHSN facility at the exact time you click the “Generate New Data Sets” button. Make sure to always generate new data sets after uploading data into NHSN. Also note that each NHSN user has their own data sets.
Q42: How do I read the AR Event Line List?
The Antimicrobial Resistance Event Line List report is an organized, detailed list of each record a facility enters into NHSN. You may have to modify the report filtering by month, pathogen, specimen, or other variable as the default settings may produce a report that is too lengthy to be useful and/or displayed. Users can review the report to verify the data imported successfully and can also be helpful for data validation.
Below is an example AR Event Line List report and a description of how to read this report:
The Laboratory isolated Candida auris from a patient’s blood specimen collected in the MICU on September 13, 2016. This isolate was non-susceptible to anidulafungin and susceptible to caspofungin, flucytosine, itraconazole, micafungin, posaconazole. This isolate was resistant to fluconazole. The laboratory did not test for voriconazole. (Please note that data on this report are fictitious and for example only.)
Q43: How do I read the AR Summary Line List?
The AR Summary line list is a report summarizing inpatient denominator data entered into NHSN at the FacWideIN level. This includes data on patient days and admissions. By default, this report also includes the “report no AR events” variable. Information on how to modify the AR summary line list, for example filtering by month or changing the variables displayed is available in our AR Denominator Line List pdf icon[PDF – 500 KB] quick reference guide. NHSN has also developed a guide for more information on how to report no AR events pdf icon[PDF – 500 KB]. Below is an example AR Summary Line List report and a description of how to read this report:
This report includes the default variables included in the AR summary line list report. The first line shows that in January 2019 there were 2,706 patient days and 554 admissions. In February 2019, there were 3,779 patient days and 517 admissions reported. In both January 2019, the Report No AR Event variable = N, indicating that there are AR Events reported for that calendar month. However, for February 2019, the Report No AR Event variable = Y, indicated that there were no AR Events to be reported for that calendar month and the facility clicked the “Report No Events” box. (Please note that data on this report are fictitious and for example only.)
Q44: What validation checks should I conduct on my AR Option data?
NHSN provides guidance on recommended AR validation pdf icon[PDF – 400 KB]. Facilities implementing AR Option reporting and those facilities that have undergone a vendor system change can use this guidance. Facilities can also use this guidance on an annual basis for ongoing validation.
Q45: Could you provide more details on the NHSN AR Option Facility-Wide Antibiogram calculation?
The NHSN Facility-wide antibiogram shows the organisms from the specimens reported into the AR Option for a given month. It lists all antimicrobials and the percent of isolates that were non-susceptible (R, I, or NS) to the organism. Below is the calculation:
The percent non-susceptible is only calculated when there are 30 or more isolates tested for a drug.
Q46: How do I read an antibiogram?
The antibiogram shows the organisms from the specimens reported into the AR Option for a given month. It lists all antimicrobials and the percent of isolates that were non-susceptible (R, I, or NS) to the organisms. Below is an example a facility-wide antibiogram and a description of how to read it:
The column headers list the specific pathogen while the rows represent each antimicrobial. In this example, 28% of the Acinetobacter species isolates and 35% of the Enterobacter species isolates tested were not susceptible to cefepime. Or in other words, 82% of the Acinetobacter species isolates and 65% of the Enterobacter species isolates tested were susceptible to cefepime. Cells with “.” represent organism/drug combinations for which there were less than 30 isolates tested. Cells shaded in grey represent non-valid organism/drug combinations. For the full drug name, see the Antimicrobial Ingredients tab of the Information Data Model (IDM) spreadsheet which is found within the AR Tool Kit located on the CDA Submission Support Portal website. (Please note that data on this report are fictitious and for example only.)
