Validation of healthcare-associated Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infection surveillance in Western Australian public hospitals

Helen Van Gessel; Rebecca L. McCann; Allison M. Peterson; Leigh S. Goggin

doi:10.1071/HI09028

RESEARCH ARTICLE

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Validation of healthcare-associated Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infection surveillance in Western Australian public hospitals

Helen Van Gessel ^A ^B , Rebecca L. McCann ^C ^D , Allison M. Peterson ^C and Leigh S. Goggin ^C

+ Author Affiliations

- Author Affiliations

^A Office of Safety and Quality in Healthcare, Innovation and Health System Reform, Department of Health, Perth, WA 6000, Australia.

^B Faculty of Health Science, Curtin University, GPO Box U1987, Perth, WA 6845, Australia.

^C Healthcare Associated Infection Unit, Communicable Disease Control Directorate, Public Health Division, Department of Health, Perth, WA 6008, Australia.

^D Corresponding author. Email: rebecca.mccann@health.wa.gov.au

Healthcare Infection 15(1) 21-25 https://doi.org/10.1071/HI09028
Submitted: 21 December 2009 Accepted: 15 January 2010 Published: 29 March 2010

Abstract

The rate of healthcare-associated Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia (HA-SAB) is one outcome measure utilised to assess the quality and safety of care provided in hospitals. It has been accepted for use for this purpose by the Australian Health Ministers Council and has been incorporated as an indicator into the National Healthcare Agreement. To ensure such data is credible, it is critical that all organisations with responsibility for collating and analysing HA-SAB rates have systems in place to support accurate data collection at the hospital level, regularly review and improve these systems, and perform quality assurance of the data they receive and submit to the Commonwealth. To assess the quality of data being submitted to Healthcare Infection Surveillance Western Australian (HISWA), a retrospective audit was performed to validate 2008 HA-SAB data submitted by Western Australian public hospitals. The sensitivity of HISWA HA-SAB surveillance was 77% and the specificity was 99.6%. Hospitals without on-site clinical microbiologists performed relatively poorly. Discharge coding was not an accurate reflection of SAB rates.

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank and acknowledge the contribution of the PathWest laboratory staff, particularly Charmaine Sutton, WA health infection control professionals, Robert Maris and Deborah Yagmich from Western Australian Health Information Management and Reporting, and Medical Records and administrative staff at HISWA sites.

References

[1] Department of Health. Healthcare-associated infection surveillance in Western Australia. Operational directive. Perth: Government of Western Australia Department of Health; 2007.

[2] Collignon P, Cruickshank M. Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemias: time to act. Med J Aust 2009; 191 363–4.
| PubMed |

[3] Department of Health. Healthcare infection surveillance Western Australia. Surveillance manual, version 3. Perth: Government of Western Australia Department of Health; 2009.

[4] Dendle C, Martin RD, Cameron DR, Grabsch EA, Mayall BC, Grayson ML, et al. Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia as a quality indicator for hospital infection control. Med J Aust 2009; 191 389–92.
| PubMed |