Spirometry is a common lung function test used to monitor and diagnose lung and airway conditions. This factsheet includes practical strategies to help reduce the risk of infection transmission during spirometry testing.
The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care has released revised national guidance on how to prevent falls and fall-related injury. This is the first revision of the Falls Guidelines since 2009.
This fact sheet provides practical strategies for the safe use of CLONazepam oral liquid in clinical practice and includes standardised recommendations for the safe prescribing, dispensing and administering of CLONazepam oral liquid for clinicians and health service organisations.
Today the Commission has released a new Atlas Focus Report examining care for people with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). The report highlights important trends and variation in two critical aspects of care: spirometry and prescribing of COPD long-acting inhalers.
STORY OF EXCELLENCE
Antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) is essential to safeguard the effectiveness of antimicrobial medicines. Beyond annual point prevalence surveys, the Canberra Health Services AMS team decided they needed more detail, more often. After implementing monthly audits, the team could monitor the impact of new initiatives such as verifying antibiotic allergies and real-time prompts for guideline-recommended prescribing.
STORY OF EXCELLENCE
A short notice accreditation assessment found monitoring of clinical variation needed strengthening. Northern NSW Local Health District had 60 days to improve its monitoring and reporting processes, before the next follow-up assessment. They took stock and set about building a stronger, data-driven system that is supported by clinicians - starting with some innovative changes to their audit tool.
The 10th Anniversary Clinical Care Standards Excellence Awards were announced in July 2025.
STORY OF EXCELLENCE
Sepsis is a life-threatening condition which needs prompt identification for appropriate management. The team at Flinders and Upper North Local Health Network led the way in designing a sepsis pathway tailored to local needs, across a large regional and remote area of South Australia. Initiatives to train new staff and a 'Sepsis Pharmacy Box' have helped to cement these changes. Dashboards convey the ongoing improvement from these changes in staff lounges and clinical spaces.
STORY OF EXCELLENCE
Communication gaps can arise when patients leave hospital and return to the care of their GP. This may lead to patients using opioids for longer than intended. Opioid management plans (OMPs) are a tool to address this. Austin Health integrated OMPs into the workflow of their electronic medical records system. The team deployed user testing to emphasise the tool was here to help, not to hinder, and the data speaks for itself.
STORY OF EXCELLENCE
Time is everything when it comes to stroke care. Realising they were not treating patients within the recommended timeframes, the Stroke Services team at University Hospital Geelong acted. This included an overhaul of the stroke pathway and staging real-time Code Stroke simulations.
The 10th Anniversary Clinical Care Standards Excellence Awards were announced in July 2025.
This is one of a suite of resources to support aged care providers safely provide evidence-based care to older people as described in the Aged Care Quality Standards.