Australia’s states and territories Infection Prevention and Control programs – a comparison study

Kathy Dempsey, Susan Jain, Patricia Bradd, Kate Clezy, David Greenfield — Tue, 21 May 2024 00:00:00 -0400

Background: Infection prevention and control (IPC) remains a critical component of delivering quality and safe care. However, clinician understanding of and engagement with IPC remain inconsistent (1–3). In addition, IPC governance, structure and organisation impact on clinician engagement are not well described. Available publications are limited to healthcare-associated infection (HAI) surveillance and do not reflect the broader IPC program (4–6). As Australia establishes a national coordinating body similar to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a comparison of jurisdictional IPC provides essential contemporary information to inform the national body.

Method: This study examined the characteristics of jurisdictional (states and territories) IPC programs in Australia and was conducted in two phases. Phase one examined outward facing websites likely to be accessed by clinicians, and phase two surveyed jurisdictional programs using a qualitative questionnaire.

Results: Whilst each jurisdiction had accessible website content, this varied considerably in terms of governance, structure, content, ease of navigation, accessibility and visibility. There was a lack of national focus within jurisdictional programs and websites. Four of eight jurisdictions did not have a formal statewide IPC program at the time of the survey. Variance was reported in governance, structures, focus and program elements.

Conclusion: Inconsistent IPC governance and structure demonstrates poorly aligned Australian IPC programs that may contribute to poor clinician understanding and engagement with IPC. Implementing a coordinated and consistent approach to governance, website design and layout would facilitate a consolidated approach to IPC nationally, which may facilitate clinician understanding and engagement. Shaping IPC nationally would also provide solid IPC foundations to support an Australian CDC.

Description of the epidemiology of healthcare-associated infections in the military hospital of Tunis

Aloui Ghaith, Yousfi Mohamed Ali, Bennour Sana — Thu, 04 Apr 2024 00:00:00 -0400

Background: Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) are the most common adverse events in healthcare delivery and the most frequently reported worldwide. Understanding its epidemiology can help stratify the problems and effectively determine prevention and control strategies.

Objective: The aim of this study is to describe the epidemiology of HAIs in the military hospital of Tunis.

Design: This is a retrospective descriptive study covering the year 2021. It concerns patients who stayed more than 48 h and who developed an infection meeting the criteria of HAIs.

Results: A total of 380 HAIs were detected. This represents 2.49 per 1,000 days of hospitalization and 8% of admissions. Men were more affected than women. The anesthesia-intensive care department was the most involved (32.25%). Diabetes mellitus was the most encountered comorbidity (27%). The pulmonary system was the most affected site (46.8%). Germs were identified in 26% of cases. Klebsiella pneumoniae was the most incriminated germ (31%), followed by Staphylococcus aureus (26%). Vancomycin was the most prescribed broad-spectrum antibiotic (24%).

Conclusions: Epidemiological surveillance is an essential tool to evaluate the impact of infection prevention and control policies. It would be desirable to reinforce the global policy in our hospital, which is mainly based on the respect of hygiene rules by the staff.

International Journal of Infection Control

Australia’s states and territories Infection Prevention and Control programs – a comparison study

Description of the epidemiology of healthcare-associated infections in the military hospital of Tunis