Infection control measures and strategies

Tracy Sloane 1, P.Louise Wright 1, Rhonda Stuart 1, Elizabeth Gillespie 1 1 Monash Health, Dandenong, VIC, Australia   Introduction: The term carbapenem-producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE) refers to bacteria that are members of the family Enterobacteriaceae that produce carbapenemase enzyme rendering them resistant to carbapenem antibiotics. Increasing numbers have been identified...

Robert Robinson 1, Maria DaCosta 1 1 Nepean Hospital, Kingswood, NSW, Australia   Introduction Routine surveillance in an orthopaedic ward identified an increase in VRE acquisitions over a 3 month period. The objective was to investigate and identify risk factors, then implement preventative infection prevention and control strategies...

Brad Prezant 1 1 Chief Scientific Officer, Validair Sciences, Nunawading, VIC, Australia   Introduction Small and large sewage leaks occur periodically in health care environments, resulting in potential infection risks to patients, staff, and clean-up personnel. Biological proliferation, including bacterial and fungal growth, can occur following all...

Joshua Philp 1, Simone Kelly 1 1 The Sutherland Hospital, Caringbah, NSW, Australia   Introduction: Improving patient outcomes should be at the centre of project deployment, either directly or indirectly. Multiresistant Pseudomonas bacteria-related infections and deaths were the prompter for change in our intensive care unit (ICU)...

Sue McFarlane 1, Aurea Ayalon 1, Terri Cripps 2, Margaret Evans 3, Susan Jain 1, Kristine Millar 1, Fiby Sultan 1 1 Prince Of Wales Hospital, Barker Street, Randwick, NSW, Australia   Introduction: Situated on the Randwick Campus are the Prince of Wales Hospital (PoWH), Royal Hospital for Women (RHW) and the Sydney Children’s Hospital (SCH). The SCH...

Jeff Brooks 1, Janine Malcolm 1 1 Mercy Health, Werribee, VIC, Australia   Introduction There are inherent challenges when conducting the annual Influenza vaccination campaign to ensure that uptakes rates are adequate to protect employees and the vulnerable residents. Historically at Mercy Health Aged Care rates of...

Anita Lovegrove 1, Jacky Meyer 1 1 Monash Health, Melbourne, VIC, Australia   Introduction Accreditation is an invaluable review process however the framework of National standards poses a considerable challenge in providing evidence to demonstrate currency and performance against protocols enshrined by the governance of an organisation. One...

Venkata L N Lavu 1, Mary O`Reilly, Carolyn Beckett, Leanne Houston 1 Eastern Health, 5 Arnold St, Box Hill VIC, Australia   Background: Exposures to blood and body fluids in health care settings have the potential to transmit blood-borne viruses. The aims of this study is to ascertain the...

Patricia Karbowiak 1 1 Clinical Nurse Consultant Infection Prevention Service, Hunter New England Local Health District, Maitland, NSW, Australia   Background: Publication of the National Standards 2012, presented acute inpatient healthcare facilities in Australia with unprecedented challenges in implementation of standard practice for prevention of healthcare associated...

Trevor Glasbey 1, Greg Whiteley 1 1 Whiteley Corporation, Tomago, NSW, Australia   Introduction A new disinfectant system has been developed in which the active species (peracetic acid) is generated in situ by dissolution in water. In order to provide a safer, more effective product for the end-user,...