Ms Judith Brett1, Dr Ann Bull1, Mr Simon Burrell1, Ms Ling Wang1, Ms Tali Kalman2, Ms Hilary Veale2, Ms Daneeta Hennessy2, Ms Stacey Rowe2, Dr Lyn-li Lim1,3, Associate Professor Leon Worth1,3
1VICNISS Coordinating Centre, Melbourne, Australia
2Department of Health Victoria, Melbourne, Australia,
3University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
Introduction: With onset of the first COVID-19 wave in March 2020, the Victorian Department of Health (DH) engaged the Victorian Healthcare Associated Infection Surveillance System Coordinating Centre (VICNISS) to develop a system to monitor hospital patients with COVID-19. We describe the development and evolution of this program.
Methods: A secure on-line reporting module was created using the VICNISS platform. Standardised data specifications and definitions were established to monitor hospitalised patients, including: demographics, COVID-19 status at time of admission, daily location, ICU admission and ventilation status. Hospital users were registered and provided with educational/helpline support. Hospitals and DH were able to generate real-time reports. VICNISS followed up data discrepancies, queries and/or failure to report.
Results: Weekly validation was introduced in June 2020 to confirm all hospitalized COVID cases had been reported. Upon DH request, VICNISS undertook a lookback in September 2020 to identify hospital-acquired COVID-19 infections. Historical COVID-19 episodes were reviewed and classified according to internationally-accepted definitions. In early 2021, an algorithm using these definitions was applied prospectively to inform hospitals immediately if a submitted COVID-19 case was hospital-acquired. COVID-19 vaccination status was further added to data submission in April 2021, in order to inform policy.
Conclusion: A system that successfully captures data to inform Victoria’s COVID-19 case management capacity was rapidly deployed by leveraging the existing platform used by hospitals for infection prevention and control surveillance activities. Post-implementation enhancements improved efficiencies and timeliness of reporting to support responses and risk mitigation within Victorian facilities.
Biography: Judith Brett has worked in Infection Control 2000 and has been in her current role at VICNISS Coordinating Centre since 2007. She coordinates the Victorian large hospital HAI surveillance program and more recently the COVID-19 surveillance in hospitals