Mrs. Yun-Ju Shih1, Mrs. Sally Healy1
1Queensland Health, Brisbane, Australia
Biography:
Yun-Ju (Diana) Shih is an Epidemiologist for the Queensland Infection and Prevention Control Unit, Queensland Health. Yun-Ju completed a Master's in Epidemiology degree from the National Taiwan University before moving to Australia. Yun-Ju is passionate about informed data-driven decision-making to improve the health of all. She specialises in disease modelling, data analysis, and applied Epidemiology. She enjoys travelling and exploring foods around the world.
Abstract:
Queensland Health (QH) recently established a statewide lead for infection prevention and control, Queensland Infection and Prevention Control Unit (QIPCU). One key function of QIPCU is monitoring surveillance data and supporting facilities to reduce the risk to patients. This study presents the trends, epidemiology, and sources of Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infection (SABSI) in Queensland public hospitals: 2018-2023.
SABSI data was extracted from the QH surveillance system, with maternal-acquired SABSI excluded from the analysis. Hospital episode data was extracted from Queensland Hospital Admitted Patient Data Collection to calculate the rate of healthcare-associated SABSI.
This study included 6,226 episodes of SABSI from 2018 to 2023. The relative risk of healthcare-associated SABSI for males was 1.7 (95%CI 1.6-1.9) compared to females. Overall, 67.2% of SABSI episodes were community-acquired, 23.3% were associated with inpatient care and 8.6% were associated with non-inpatient care. The median age of community-acquired SABSI patients was 63 while the median age of healthcare-associated SABSI patients was 66. Annual rates of healthcare-associated SABSI for all QH public hospitals ranged from 0.79 to 0.87 per 10,000 patient days, while annual rates for principal referral hospitals ranged from 0.88 to 0.99. Intravascular catheters were associated with 53.8% of the healthcare-associated SABSIs while 33.2% were organ site focus infections.
The data showed the overview of SABSI in Queensland. QIPCU will continue to liaise with facilities to ensure improved patient outcomes, as well as support and implement statewide approaches to education and policy in infection prevention and control.