OBJECTIVE Healthcare-associated infection (HAI) surveillance is a crucial tool for healthcare management and public health prevention, the World Health Organization (WHO) released simplified technical guidelines of HAI surveillance to enhance the HAI surveillance in areas with limited medical resources. This study explores the applicability and implementation pathways of the WHO′s simplified standards for HAI surveillance in China.

METHODS This study used text analysis and qualitative interviews to compare the differences of HAI surveillance criteria between China and WHO. Interviews were conducted with professionals of infection prevention and control (IPC) to explore the opportunities and challenges of implementing WHO simplified standards in China.

RESULTS Twenty-two IPC professionals with long-term experiences participated in the interviews. Main themes derived from the interview were: WHO simplified standards could enhance the sensitivity of HAI surveillance, this approach provided insights for a risk early warning surveillance and improved surveillance in primary healthcare institutions. It also increased the international comparability of Chinese HAI surveillance results. However, the implementation of the WHO simplified standards required further pilot validation, higher levels of informatic surveillance and clinical diagnostic capabilities. CONCLUSION This study explores the feasibility and acceptability of the WHO′s simplified HAI surveillance in China, provides references for the transformation of China′s HAI surveillance models and systems.