Why are hospitals reporting head of bed (HOB) elevation rates instead of actual ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) rates?
Criteria used to diagnose VAPs are varied and not consistent among hospitals; therefore, it would be difficult to compare hospitals fairly using these data. However, there are process measures that are proven to be successful in preventing VAPs. The one measure that has the greatest individual impact on VAP prevention is HOB elevation, which is why this measure was chosen.