Healthcare associated infection

SA Health is committed to implementing five key areas for national action on health care associated infection (HAI).

Programs are in place to address each of these areas, along with additional work in infection prevention at the state level.

The five national priority areas for the prevention of HAI are:

1. Explore options for a national surveillance system.
2. Building Clinician Capacity by provision of educational tools.
3. Review of the National Infection Control Guidelines to ensure currency and useability.
4. Improve hand hygiene compliance through a national culture-change program.
5. Promotion of antimicrobial stewardship programs.

In addition, the state Infection Control Service has programs of work in the following areas:

• sterilization and reprocessing of medical instruments
• education and training of infection control link nurses and other health professionals
• provision of community resources and advice
• monitoring and analysis of HAI and antibiotic usage patterns within SA hospitals (public and private).

Contact

Irene Wilkinson

Infection Control Service Manager

Telephone: (08) 7425 7170