Surveillance

Clinical Indicators

The New South Wales (NSW) Healthcare Associated Infection Clinical Indicator Manual outlines the minimum level of healthcare associated infection (HAI) surveillance that NSW public health organisations (PHO) providing acute care services are to collect in order to:

• Determine baseline rates of HAIs
• Detect changes in rates or distribution of HAIs
• Drive investigation of significant increases in HAI rates
• Measure the effectiveness of infection prevention and control measures
• Monitor compliance with infection prevention and control practices.

The 10 Mandatory Clinical Indicators for Routine Surveillance of HAIs are:

1. Centrally-inserted central line-associated blood stream infections in adult and paediatric intensive care units
2. Peripherally-inserted central venous line-associated blood stream infection in intensive care units
3. Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream (SAB) infection – peripheral intravenous cannula (PIVC) associated and non PIVC Associated
4. Acquisition of methicillin-resistant S. aureus in adult and paediatric intensive care units
5. Vancomycin-resistant enterococcal blood stream infection
6. Carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales blood stream infection and clinical isolates
7. Clostridioides (Clostridium) difficile infection
8. Surgical site infections following cardiac bypass surgery
9. Surgical site infections following knee arthroplasty
10. Surgical site infections following hip arthroplasty.

NSW public health services are required to report on all mandatory indicators.