The Need for Comprehensive Data Collection in Infection Prevention
Effective infection prevention requires accurate and timely data collection and analysis. Infection rates and trends can help to identify areas of improvement and support the development of evidence-based infection prevention programs. The collection of comprehensive data is essential to identify gaps in infection prevention practices, monitor the effectiveness of interventions, and guide decision-making.
Australia has taken significant strides to prevent and control infectious diseases through initiatives like the Australian Institute for Health and Welfare’s National Staphylococcus aureus Bacteraemia Data Collection. Launched in 2017, this collection aims to reduce the incidence of Staphylococcus aureus infections, which are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in Australia.
The National Staphylococcus aureus Bacteraemia Data Collection in Australia is an excellent example of how comprehensive data collection can inform infection prevention practices and reduce the burden of healthcare-associated infections. However, there is a need to expand data collection to include other organisms of concern to further improve infection prevention outcomes.
While the collection has proven to be an essential tool for tracking and preventing Staphylococcus aureus infections, it is time for it to be expanded to include other organisms of concern. Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa are significant causes of healthcare-associated infections, and expanding the data collection would provide a more comprehensive understanding of the burden of healthcare-associated infections in Australia.
Expanding the data collection would allow for targeted infection prevention and control strategies. The data collected could be used to identify high-risk groups, monitor trends, and develop targeted interventions. It could also be used to evaluate the effectiveness of current infection prevention and control measures and inform the development of new strategies.
In addition to providing a more comprehensive picture of healthcare-associated infections in Australia, expanding the data collection could also have significant economic benefits. Healthcare-associated infections cost Australia up to $1 billion per year, and targeting prevention and control efforts more effectively could significantly reduce this cost. 1 in 10 Australians who are admitted to hospital acquire an infection they did not previously have, and the average cost to treat these infections is over $37,539.
Expanding the National Staphylococcus aureus Bacteraemia Data Collection to include other organisms would require additional resources, but the benefits would far outweigh the costs. Australia has a leadership role to play in infection prevention and control on a global scale, and expanding the collection is an essential step towards achieving this goal.
While the National Staphylococcus aureus Bacteraemia Data Collection has been a valuable tool, it is time for it to be expanded to include other organisms of concern. Expanding the collection would provide a more comprehensive understanding of the burden of healthcare-associated infections in Australia, allow for targeted prevention and control strategies, and have significant economic benefits. Australia has the opportunity to continue its leadership role in infection prevention and control on a global scale by expanding the collection.
Sources:
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (2022). National Staphylococcus aureus Bacteraemia Data Collection. https://www.aihw.gov.au/about-our-data/our-data-collections/national-staphylococcus-aureus-bacteraemia
Australian Commission on Safety and Quality on Healthcare. (2022) Healthcare associated infection detailed factsheet. https://www.safetyandquality.gov.au/sites/default/files/migrated/Healthcare-associated-infection-detailed-fact-sheet.pdf
European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. (2022). Healthcare-associated infections: Staphylococcus aureus. https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/healthcare-associated-infections-acute-care-hospitals/facts/infectious-agents/staphylococcus-aureus
Liu, C., et al. (2018). The burden of healthcare-associated infections in Australian hospitals: A systematic review of the literature. Infection, Disease & Health, 23(2), 98-106. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.idh.2018.02.002
Magill, S. S., et al. (2018). Multistate point-prevalence survey of healthcare-associated infections. The New England Journal of Medicine, 364(15), 1419-1430. https://doi.org/10.1056/nejmoa1000373
National Health and Medical Research Council. (2019). Australian Guidelines for the Prevention and Control of Infection in Healthcare. https://www.nhmrc.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/attachments/CDG_Infection_Prevention_Control_2019.pdf
World Health Organization. (2018). Global priority list of antibiotic-resistant bacteria to guide research, discovery, and development of new antibiotics. https://www.who.int/medicines/publications/WHO-PPL-Short_Summary_25Feb-ET_NM_WHO.pdf