Mrs. Allison Hodge1
1Grampians Health Ballarat, Ballarat, Australia
Biography:
Allison Hodge RN BSc Nursing, Graduate Certificate in Infection Prevention and Control, Infection Prevention and Control Clinical Nurse consultant in regional Victoria for 15 years. Special interest in Aged Care Communities
Abstract:
The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission developed a resource bundle for the learning of Nurses and Personal Care Attendants (PCA) in Residential Aged Care Services.
This campaign was an antimicrobial stewardship initiative utilising an evidence based tested program called To Dip or Not to Dip (TDONTD) from the United Kingdom National Health Service.
The campaign aims to educate aged care staff (nurses and Personal Care Assistants) on asymptomatic bacteriuria (ASB) and to promote behaviour change around unnecessary urine dipstick testing.
Locally at 10 regional residential care communities it was found that Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) assessment was not evidence based and could be identified that many residents were being treated for a UTI when they may not have had an infection.
Infection prevention and control (IPC) team supported and led the introduction of the TDONTD campaign in late 2022 into the 10 care communities as a quality activity. This utilised the Care Community IPC leads as a pivotal contact and facilitator.
Using a quantitative descriptive method the implementation of the program demonstrated reduction in the use of ward-based urinalysis, increase in urine cultures being collected and a reduction in the use of antimicrobials.
This further lead to imbedding of supportive pathways to promote the evidence-based practices and higher-level conversations around suspected UTIs.