Introduction to Australian surveillance definitions: surgical site infection & bloodstream infections

Abstract

Surveillance for health care related infection is a pivotal and proven practice in infection control for minimising infection rates. To achieve this end, national data collection systems have been established in the United States and in a number of European countries. Developing a method to provide a broad overview of infection rates in Australia, with its relatively small population and geographic diversity, will prove useful. However, such a goal can only be attained if standardised definitions are developed through consensus and utilised by all health care institutes in all Australian states and territories. The following definitions of hospital acquired infection, developed through consensus, represent a practical approach to standardisation of numerator definitions for surgical site infection and bloodstream infections. Where possible, the definitions have been designed to provide relative ease of collection and interpretation and to allow for the possibility of international comparison. However, they are 'surveillance' definitions and, as such, are not designed to identify every infection. The aim is to ensure that the majority of infections are recorded in a reproducible and consistent fashion.