Welcome to the VICNISS Hospital Acquired Infection Surveillance System
The primary aim of VICNISS is to lower the number of
infections acquired in Victorian hospitals. Established in 2002, the program is coordinated by the VICNISS Coordinating Centre, which
collects and analyses data on hospital acquired (nosocomial) infections in acute care public hospitals in Victoria, and reports individual hospital
and aggregate data back to participants and the Department of Human Services. Surveillance activities are targeted to those
patients at highest risk of hospital acquired infections.
News
TYPE 1 & 2 SURVEILLANCE REPORTS (for participating hospitals only)
June 2009: Quarter 3, 2008/2009
Type 1 and
Type 2 quarterly reports, including Outpatient Haemodialysis reports, and the Type 1 Hospital Level De-identified
Data Report, are now available.
These reports can be accessed using your hospital username and password.
An explanatory document regarding these reports is available on your Reports page.
If you have any further questions after reading this document, or any problems accessing
your hospital reports please contact the
Coordinating Centre.
The deadline for data to be forwarded to the VICNISS Coordinating Centre for Quarter
4, 2008/2009 (previously referred to Quarter 2 2009 - see note below) is Friday, 7th August
2009 for Type 1 hospitals
and Friday, 31st July 2009 for Type 2 hospitals. The
corresponding report is then due to be posted mid-September 2009.
From 1st July 2008 VICNISS quarterly and year to date (YTD) reports will reflect the financial year calendar. For example,
July/Aug/Sept 2008 will be referred to as Q1, 2008/2009. This will mean that reports will
look different to previous reports.

2008-09 Statement of Priorities and Performance Framework
Statements of Priorities (SoPs) are the key accountability agreements between Health Services and the Minister for Health. The annual
agreement ensures delivery or substantial progress towards the key shared objectives of financial stability, improves access and waiting times,
and quality of service provision.
There are four Quality and Safety key performance indicators in the 2008-09 Statement of Priorities that may involve infection control
teams; Cleaning, Hand Hygiene, VICNISS data and VICNISS performance.
Key Performance Indicator 8: VICNISS performance has been included in the SoPs for 2008-09. This measurement is based around a hospitals
performance and outlier status for:
- Hip Arthroplasty;
- Knee Arthroplasty;
- Caesarean section;
- Coronary Artery Graft Surgery; and
- Adult Intensive Care Unit patients with central lines.
A copy of the 2008-09 Statement of Priorities and Performance Framework Business Rules can be found at:
www.health.vic.gov.au/hospital-performance/index.htm.

Infection Control Literature Review, April 2009
Our most recent
literature review, for April, compiled by Dr Leon Worth, ID Physician,
discusses current research on the following selected topics:
- Microperforation of Surgical Gloves and ‘Wear-time’: When Should Gloves be Routinely Changed?
- Isolation of Staphylococcus aureus from Intravascular Catheter Tips in
the Absence of a Positive Blood Culture