eICAT (electronic Infection Control Assessment Technology) is a data collection and analysis package developed by a team of infection control professionals to serve the needs of the infection control community.

The three principle features of eICAT are data collection using a Palm handheld computer, the organization of that data into a coherent structure in an Access database, and the generation of surveillance data, charts and reports. The package enables the infection control professional to quickly identify unexpected increases in infection rates and detect adverse trends in order to facilitate early intervention.

	Data are collected in the hospital ward or other convenient location.			The data are uploaded into a PC running Microsoft Access.			Charts and reports are generated to detect infection trends and identify problem areas.

By using eICAT at your hospital or institution you gain the advantages of using a standardised surveillance protocol to provide evidence-based policy development allowing the rapid communication and comparison of results. The automated collection of data and the generation of relevant charts will allow you to accelerate the reporting of adverse trends, enable more timely interventions and improve the quality of patient care.