The validation of national surveillance data is crucial for identifying methodological issues, enhancing participation, and detecting data quality problems within healthcare-associated infection surveillance systems. The Korean National Healthcare-associated Infections Surveillance System (KONIS) conducted data validity assessments for the intensive care unit (ICU) module between 2008 and 2017. This paper discusses the necessity of data validation studies, reviews their status in foreign countries, and presents the methodology and findings of validation studies on KONIS ICU module data. Various validation methods, including external and internal validation, as well as case studies, have been employed to evaluate data quality and suggest areas for improvement. Given the significant resources required for external validation, the active adoption of internal validation and case studies in the KONIS to enhance data quality is suggested.

Keywords: Validation, Healthcare-associated infection, KONIS, Surveillance, ICU