The National Surveillance Initiative seeks to explore options for a national surveillance system to monitor Healthcare Associated Infections and provide timely feedback to jurisdictions and clinicians. The result is an evidence-based and authoritative analysis that can promote stronger linkages between other health data systems and with policy makers, and to ensure that the messages derived from surveillance data can be turned into public health action for better health outcomes.
HAI Advisory Committee
The HAI Advisory Committee consists of experts and key stakeholders to set priorities for action, provide advice and assistance on issues relating to the Commission's Healthcare Associated Infection program.The main roles of the Healthcare Associated Infection Advisory Committee are to:
- Advise the Commission on national strategies for healthcare associated infection and assist in implementing the strategies;
- Recommend national research priorities for action in healthcare associated infection;
- Recommend and monitor national standards and indicators for healthcare associated infections;
- Recommend strategies for translating evidence into practice;
- Work collaboratively with other national safety and quality bodies to improve healthcare associated infections; and
- Oversee the function of any sub-committees established by the Healthcare Associated Infection Advisory Committee and/or the Commission.
HAI Advisory Committee Membership
- Dr John Ferguson (Chair) - Area Director, Infection Prevention and Control, Hunter New England Health, NSW
- Professor Peter Collignon - Infectious Diseases Unit For Microbiology, ACT
- Professor Michael Richards - Director, VICNISS
- Professor David Paterson - Medical Advisor, Centre for Healthcare Related Infection Surveillance, QLD
- Dr Helen van Gessel - Infectious Diseases Physician & Senior Clinical Advisor, WA
- Dr Alistair McGregor - Staff Specialist, Infectious Diseases, Royal Hobart Hospital, TAS
- A/Professor Cathryn Murphy - Faculty of Health Science and Medicine, Bond University
- Claire Boardman - President, Australian Infection Control Association (AICA)
- Irene Wilkinson - Epidemiologist, Department of Health, SA
- Philip Russo - Program Manager, Hand Hygiene Australia
Reducing harm to patients from healthcare associated infection: the role of surveillance
A report, Reducing harm to patients from healthcare associated infection: the role of surveillance, was compiled by 51 experts from across Australia. This report provides an overview of current healthcare associated infection issues and surveillance initiatives in Australia. and a review of international and Australian surveillance literature. Providing a comprehensive picture of the surveillance of HAI in Australia, the report demonstrates the costs that these infections impose upon individual Australians and the health system.Each chapter of the report includes recommendations and a summary of key points based on the material presented. We greatly appreciate comments and your assistance in helping us ensure that this strategy is of value to those receiving health services and those working in the field.
A copy of Reducing harm to patients from healthcare associated infection: the role of surveillance and a copy of the key working document is available to download along with a list of editors and contributors (PDF 24 KB).
Submissions on the recommendations of the report, Reducing harm to patients from Health Care Associated Infections
The Commission invited comment from key stakeholders on the recommendations outlined in the report, Reducing harm to patients from healthcare associated infection: the role of surveillance after its release in July 2008. Applicants were given until 30 September 2008 to submit their comments. Thoughts, comments and suggestions were sought on the implementation of the recommendations, the priority areas for action and who would be responsibilities for the implementation of these recommendations.
Twenty nine written submissions were received in response to the Commission's invitation to provide comment. Access to the submissions on the recommendations of the report, Reducing harm to patients from Health Care Associated Infections is located on a separate web page. A list of organisations and individuals corresponding submissions is available to download.
The comments and views expressed in submissions were considered by the Surveillance Committee established to advise on National Surveillance.
In December 2008 all Australian Health Ministers agreed to a national approach to surveillance of Staphylococcus aureus blood stream infections (including MRSA) and other virulent microorganisms. All hospitals will establish healthcare associated infection surveillance and monitor and report on Staphylococcus aureus (including MRSA) blood stream infections and Clostridium difficile infections, through their jurisdiction, into a
national data collection.
This project has also developed consensus definitions on local and national indicators of Staphylococcal aureus blood stream infections and Clostridium difficile.
The project is overseen by the HAI Surveillance Advisory Committee who oversee the establishment of a national healthcare associated infection data collection and makes recommendations on national policy for prevention, control and outbreak management. The committee is made up of experts from around the country.
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HAI surveillance data dictionary
The Commission has drafted a data dictionary to provide detailed metadata standards to underpin national HAI surveillance.The intent of the dictionary is to support local development of forms and systems; it is not intended that all data items be collected at national level.
The dictionary incorporates the national definitions of HAIs developed by the Healthcare Associated Infection (HAI) Surveillance Expert Working Group to support consistent local collection of Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia (SAB) and Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) data.
The data dictionary has been lodged in METeOR, the online repository of national data standards operated by the Metadata Unit of the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW).
Draft data dictionary and collection guidelines for surveillance of Healthcare Associated Infections
The Commission welcomes comments and feedback on the dictionary. These can be forwarded to Neville Board, Information Strategy Manager, via mail@safetyandquality.gov.au.
National Clostridium difficile Infection Workshop
The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care sponsored a workshop on 20 August 2010 to assist jurisdictions and the private hospital sector to manage Clostridium difficile infection (CDI). Representatives of the state and territory health departments, public and private hospital sectors, laboratories, infection prevention professional associations and members of the Commission’s HAI Advisory Committee were invited to attend
The main objective of the national workshop was to provide an understanding of hypervirulent strains of CDI and an overview of the prevalence of CDI, as well as to discuss strategic options to prevent hypervirulent CDI from gaining a foothold in Australia.
- National Clostridium difficile Infection Workshop Agenda (PDF 20 KB)
- National Clostridium difficile Infection Workshop Proceedings Manual (PDF 8900 KB)
- National Clostridium difficile Infection Workshop Report (PDF 72 KB)
- Tom Riley - CDI background epidemiology & international perspectives (PDF 2307 KB)
- Dena Lyras - C diff pathogenesis & genetics (PDF 1785 KB)
- Michele Squire - CDI animal reservoirs (PDF 332 KB)
- Michael Richards / Megan Robertson - Local transmission of hypervirulent CDI (PDF 265 KB)
- John Ferguson - ANZ lab survey & recommendations (PDF 193 KB)
- Allen Cheng - Clinical management of CDI (PDF 301 KB)
- Tony Korman - C diff laboratory investigations (PDF 1065 KB)
- Claire Boardman - Infection Control - AICA-ASID Position Paper (PDF 61 KB)
- John Turnidge - Antimicrobial Stewardship (PDF 1116 KB)
- Helen Van Gessel - Current Australian surveillance (PDF 472 KB)
- David Paterson - Point prevalence snapshot (PDF 46 KB)
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