Infections, including those associated with the provision of health care can affect patients, consumers and others. Infection prevention and control (IPC) aims to minimise the risk of transmission of infections and the development of antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
Hospital-acquired infections (also known as healthcare associated infections) are complications that can occur as a result of medical treatment and are caused by micro-organisms such as bacteria and viruses. Some of these micro-organisms can be found in the environment, and some live normally within the body. The types of hospital-acquired infections that are most commonly seen include those associated with a surgical wound or the insertion of medical devices such as an intravenous drip, urinary catheter or wound drain.
In South Australian hospitals, healthcare workers maintain high infection control standards and participate in local and national programs to minimise the risk of infection. Healthcare facilities use a range of policies and procedures to reduce the risk of infection, including:
More information on what SA Health is doing to prevent infection in healthcare settings can be found on the healthcare associated infections web page for healthcare.
Despite these efforts, some patients will still be at greater risk than others of contracting an infection while in hospital especially for people who are seriously unwell with diseases that affect their body's ability to fight infection, such as those suffering burns or certain medical conditions such as cancer.
There are several things you can do to help prevent the occurrence of an infection whilst in hospital:
More information on how you can prevent an infection while you are in hospital:
All bacteria have the ability to become resistant to certain antibiotics, this can be referred to as antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Multi drug-resistant organisms (often called "superbugs") are microorganisms/germs that have developed resistance to certain drugs or antibiotics that are usually used to treat infection.
These types of infections can be more difficult to treat due to the reduced number of effective medications available. Some infections may require treatment in hospital. There are a number of multi-resistant organisms that can be encountered in the healthcare setting including:
Sometimes a doctor or other health professional may recommend for a person to have specific body washes and / or nasal ointment to reduce or eliminate the carriage of Staphylococcus aureus, including MRSA. This is called decolonisation treatment (PDF 109KB).
Like other microorganisms, multi-resistant organisms have the potential to cause infections, in healthcare settings these can affect medical devices such as a urinary catheters, intravenous drip, operation site or wounds. See information about how to reduce the risk of infection in healthcare and community settings.
For further information about AMR refer to the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Healthcare Information for consumers on antimicrobial resistance.
Clostridioides difficile infection (often abbreviated to “C. diff”) is another infection that can affect people in healthcare/care settings. CDI is caused by a spore forming bacterium that can be found in people’s intestines and the environment. However, it does not always cause disease and is present in up to 10% of health adults without causing symptoms. The trigger for infection is usually a disturbance of the normal bowel microflora during antibiotic treatment. For more information see SA Health Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI).
Medical devices, such as intravenous drips, urinary catheters and wound drains, can be associated with infections and should be cared for appropriately both in healthcare settings and at home as indicated.
A device that you may go home with is a Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter (PICC). For information about how you can prevent infection if you go home with a PICC, see the following brochures and fact sheets:
A device that may be necessary while you are in hospital is a Peripherally Intravenous Cannula (PIVC), also known as an intravenous (IV) drip. For further information about how you can help minimise the risk of infection of your IV drip while in hospital, see the following consumer information:
There are several things you can do to help prevent the occurrence of infections. These are similar to those listed whilst being admitted to hospital:
For more information about infection prevention see:
