eBulletin August 2006 Edition 22
In this Edition:
Reminders:
! Type 2 Data Submission:
Quarter 1 Reports were released in June 2006. Quarter 2 Reports are due to be released
in September. The deadline for data to be forwarded to the VICNISS Coordinating
Centre for Quarter 3, 2006 is Tuesday, 31st October 2006.
The corresponding report is then due to be posted mid-December 2006.
! Type 1 Data Submission:
Quarter 1 Reports were released in June 2006. Quarter 2 Reports are due to be released
in September. The deadline for data to be forwarded to the VICNISS Coordinating
Centre for Quarter 3, 2006 is Friday, 3rd November 2006.
The corresponding report is then due to be posted mid-December 2006.
Key Dates: For more information on deadlines and dates, please
click here
(Opens in new window).
VICNISS Update - Presentation Evening
The VICNISS Coordinating Centre are holding a presentation evening, "A VICNISS Update - Victorian Hospital Acquired
Infection Rates", to coincide with the release of the
VICNISS Annual Report 2006 (PDF File 
1.1mb, opens in new window). Details are as follows:
| DATE: | Thursday, 31st August 2006 |
| TIME: | 6.00 - 8.30 pm - Light supper and drinks provided |
| VENUE: | Sofitel Melbourne, Carillon Room, 1st Floor, 25 Collins Street, Melbourne |
| PRESENTATIONS: | VICNISS Data and DHS, Hospital Acquired Infection Data Updates,
Healthcare workers and influenza vaccination |
| RSVP: | To Kylie Berry, VICNISS Coordinating Centre, Phone: 03 9342 2605,
Email: VICNISS @ mh.org.au |
If for some reason you have not received an invitation to the evening and would like to attend, just RSVP as above.
Website
The new VICNISS website will be available by mid September. Much work has gone into the website to provide for
improved navigation and maintenance. We will notify Infection Control staff via email when the new site is ready.
AICA Conference
Phil Russo and Claire Boardman will be attending the Fourth Biennial AICA 2006 Conference in Sydney on 21-22
September, whilst Noleen Bennett will be briefly in attendance to present a paper.
Together with Irene Wilkinson, Claire is facilitating the pre-conference Workshop 1 on surveillance, and a
lso presenting “THE VICNISS data – can comparisons be made?” on the second day of the conference.
Noleen will be presenting “The VICNISS Smaller Hospital Nosocomial Infection Surveillance Program: An
Update Report” on the morning of the first day.
We look forward to seeing many of our colleagues in Sydney.
Type 1 Surveillance Updates
NB 1: Please remember to submit partial/total, revision/primary, and left/right for both KPRO
and HPRO orthopaedic cases. We are endeavouring to have an updated form specifying this out shortly.
NB 2: Early submission of data on paper forms is always welcome!
Type 1 Education Workshop
"Introduction" workshops are held to assist the number of new infection control nurses that
have joined VICNISS participating sites, or for those existing nurses that would like a refresher. Content for the workshop
included introductions to HAI surveillance, and VICNISS surveillance methodology (SSI and ICU), instruction on the basic and
modified risk index and SIR for CSEC and AB prophylaxis, and understanding and interpreting reports.
| DATE: | 4th October 2006 |
| TIME: | 12.00pm lunch (provided) for 12.30 start (Finish approximately 3.30pm, dependent on numbers) |
| VENUE: | VICNISS, 10 Wreckyn St, North Melbourne
(click here for a Map, PDF File
88kb, opens in new window) |
The next User Group will focus on Surgical Site Infections and Case Finding - applying
the definitions to difficult cases. Users will be invited to present their most difficult cases to the group for
discussion and consensus. Cases are invited form CSEC / COLO / HPRO / KPRO surgical procedure groups. If you would like to discuss
prior to the meeting please contact
Claire Boardman.
| DATE: | 18th October 2006 |
| TIME: | 3.30pm - 4.30pm |
| VENUE: | VICNISS, 10 Wreckyn St, North Melbourne
(click here for a Map, PDF File
88kb, opens in new window) |
Further information for both the workshop and the User Group will be sent out closer to the date, but in the interim,
please register your interest in attending the workshop and/or the User Group by RSVP to VICNISS @ mh.org.au.
Type 2 Surveillance Update
Just a few reminders...
- For the 'Bloodstream Infection' module, we now only report on those that were detected 48 hours post admission. Examples of
recognised pathogens (that meet the definition for criterion 1 - VICNISS manual Version 9 page 5-36) are
Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Escherichia coli,
Klebsiella species, Proteus species, Salmonella species and Candida albicans.
- For the 'Multi Resistant Organism' module, patients admitted with unresolved MRSA or VRE infections are counted.
These unresolved infections may have been detected at another health care facility or previously at the admitting hospital.
- For the 'Peripheral Venous catheter (PVC) use’ module, patients are not counted if transferred to another health care
facility with the PVC still in-situ.
Welcome to VICNISS Emma McBryde
We are pleased to announce that Emma McBryde has commenced working at the VICNISS Coordinating Centre.
Emma is an infectious diseases physician, having completed her medical degree and her physician training in Queensland,
working as a staff specialist for the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospitals in 2004-5. She moved to Melbourne in 2005
and completed her PhD in “Mathematical and statistical modelling of infectious diseases in hospitals”.
In addition to her work at VICNISS, Emma has taken up a post in the Victorian Infectious Diseases Service (VIDS) as a
post-doctoral research fellow. Her special interests include serial surveillance data monitoring and multi-resistant
organisms such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and vancomycin resistant enterococci.
Emma has also analysed data on a severe acute respiratory syndrome outbreak in mainland China. Welcome Emma.
