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Healthcare Associated Infection (HAI)

"Infection Prevention is Everybody's Business"

What's New

Implementation Guides for SAB, CDI and CLABSI

Three implementation guides have been developed for use by Australian hospitals and organisations to support the implementation of surveillance for Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia (SAB), Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) and Central Line Associated Bloodstream Infections (CLABSI). The guides have been developed by the Commission's Healthcare Associated Infection Technical Advisory Group in collaboration with the clinical experts and the surveillance units from jurisdictions and are designed to support and standardise existing surveillance activities in line with the national definitions for SAB, CDI and CLABSI.

Each of the guides detail interpretation of the definitions, flowcharts, inclusions and exclusion for each of the surveillance topics, as well a list of examples to assist with decisions on those more difficult cases. The guides are not intended to replace or inform clinical management of infections or patient management but to standardise how key infection data is collected and reported. All comments and feedback will be reviewed and responded to as part of the consultation process.

Send comments and feedback to: HAI@safetyandquality.gov.au

Comments and feedback received will be reviewed and responded to monthly by the HAI Technical Working Group.

Below are links to the Consultation Editions of the Implementation Guides:

The Australian College for Infection Prevention and Control Conference

The Australasian College for Infection Prevention and Control Conference, 2012 (ACIPC) will take place from Monday 8 October to Thursday 11 October 2012 at the Sydney Exhibition and Convention Centre, Darling Harbour, Sydney.

The program involves presentations and workshops by specialists in the Infection Prevention and Control field including several international and domestic invited keynote presenters. This event will showcase innovative strategies that will define infection surveillance, prevention and control into the challenging future and beyond.

For further information please see:

http://www.acipcconference.com.au/

The Victorian Infection Control Professionals Association (VICPA) Video Project

Part of VICPA’s Video Project has been the production of a video which tells the story of the impact hospital associated infections can have on an individual and their family.

The video was developed to assist healthcare professionals with their infection prevention and control efforts to reduce healthcare associated infections and can be viewed through the following link:

Glen’s Story

How Hospital Associated Infections
Can Impact on a Person’s Life and Family

Produced by The Victorian Infection Control Professionals Association (VICPA)

HAI Survey – Have Your Say

The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care has been undertaking a national healthcare associated infection and prevention program since 2007. One of the five key areas in the HAI Program has been the building clinician capacity program designed to assist those undertaking infection control and prevention. The work has been overseen by the Commission's Implementation Advisory Committee which has representatives of all states and territories.

As the HAI Program have now developed a number of resources, we are undertaking a survey the results of which will be used as an evaluation of the clinical capacity program and provide us with direction for future work.

The HAI Program invites you to take just a few minutes to complete the survey (only 13 questions) which can be found on the following link:

https://www.research.net/s/6GTX8KF

Online Interactive Education Modules for Infection Prevention and Control

As part of the Clinical Capacity element of its Healthcare Associated Infection (HAI) program, the Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (ACSQHC) has developed a series of educational modules to assist staff who undertake infection prevention as part of a clinical role, as well as for those who work in private or small hospitals.

The online interactive education modules are based on content of the Australian Guidelines for the Prevention and Control of Infection in Health Care, and are anticipated to assist in identifying risk management strategies to reduce healthcare associated infection.

Please visit the Commission's Infection Prevention & Control Training Portal to register and access the online education modules.

Australian Guidelines for the Prevention and Control of Infection in Healthcare (2010)

Available on the NHMRC website

Implementing the guidelines - tools and resources

Antimicrobial Stewardship in Australian Hospitals 2011

Antimicrobial Stewardship in Australian Hospitals 2011

This publication is designed to provide clinicians and health administrators with the evidence for the use of specific quality improvement and patient safety activities to reduce preventable HAI. It has been produced primarily for use in hospitals.
The publication provides guidance on developing and introducing a hospital AMS program. It describes the structure, governance, and resources needed for an effective program, along with those strategies shown to influence antimicrobial prescribing and reduce inappropriate use.

About the HAI Program

A focus of the work of the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (ACSQHC) is on areas of the health system where current and complex problems or community concerns could benefit from urgent national consideration and action to achieve a measurable reduction in healthcare associated infection. The Healthcare Associated Infection (HAI) program, nominated as one of the priority areas for 2007/10, aims to build on facility and jurisdictional initiatives to develop a national approach to reducing healthcare associated infection by identifying and addressing systemic problems and gaps, and ensuring comprehensive actions are undertaken in a nationally coordinated way by leaders and decision makers in both public and private health care sectors. More information about the HAI program.

HAI Committees

HAI Advisory Committee

HAI Implementation Advisory Committee

Antimicrobial Stewardship Advisory Committee

National Hand Hygiene Advisory Committee

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HAI Program Publications

**Specimen collection document (including blood cultures) shortly due for release.**
Windows into Safety and Quality in Health Care 2011 report
The Windows into Safety and Quality in Health Care 2010 report (PDF 6217 KB) provides some insight into a range of safety and quality issues and a flavour of the activity being undertaken by the Commission. It includes a chapter on Antimicrobial Resistance and features hand hygiene compliance data.

Contacts

Marilyn Cruickshank, Program Manager
(02) 9126 3586

Coral Warren, Project Officer
(02) 9126 3631

Email: mail@safetyandquality.gov.au

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Help with accessing large documents

When accessing large documents (over 500 KB in size), it is recommended that the following procedure be used:

Click the link with the RIGHT mouse button
Choose "Save Target As.../Save Link As..." depending on your browser
Select an appropriate folder on a local drive to place the downloaded file

Attempting to open large documents within the browser window (by left-clicking) may inhibit your ability to continue browsing while the document is opening and/or lead to system problems.

Help with accessing PDF documents

To view PDF (Portable Document Format) documents, you will need to have a PDF reader installed on your computer. A number of PDF readers are available through the Australian Government Information Management Office (AGIMO) Web Guide website.

Updated: 25 January, 2012

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Healthcare Associated Infection (HAI)