Trends in Publication Scholarship in Healthcare Infection: A 12-year Analysis

Background: Healthcare Infection, the official publication of the Australasian College for Infection Prevention Control, is an international, peer-reviewed journal. This paper presents an analysis of the publication scholarship trends of articles published within Healthcare Infection, providing insight into future publication trends. Methods: A cross-sectional study design was used to explore published articles over a 12-year period, between 2002 and 2015. A content analysis was performed to examine the key thematic characteristics of all published articles. Citation data from articles published between 2011and 2015 were extracted from Scopus. Results: A total of 345 articles were published in Healthcare Infection during this time. The topics and content of the publications varied considerably. Approximately half the published articles were original research of which the majority were low level evidence. Other articles comprised discussion papers, review articles and editorials. Conclusion: In recent years, there has been an increase in international collaborations and diversification of topics published, including urinary tract infection, sharps injuries, health economics, and antibiotic resistance and stewardship

Uncertainty, error and risk in human clinical judgment: Introductory theoretical frameworks in paramedic practice

Paramedic judgment and decision-making, not unlike much of ambulance practice, have not been the subject of systematic, sustained research. There exists a paucity of research or inquiry that examines the mechanics of human error in paramedic practice, ambulance or pre-hospital settings. Little is known of how paramedics make judgments and decisions, and how paramedics deal with risk and uncertainty they commonly face in their tasks and the environment in which they work in. The literature and theories on judgment and decisionmaking are as extensive as they are controversial and the scientific community is yet to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the risk and uncertainty in judgment and decisionmaking. The following paper provides an introduction to the concepts of error, risk, and uncertainty in the context of paramedic judgment and decision-making, discussion of two analytic frameworks that examine such error, risk, and uncertainty, and commentary on their application to the paramedic setting

The Burden of Healthcare-Associated Infection in Australian Hospitals: A Systematic Review of the Literature

Introduction: Central to all efforts to control and prevent healthcare associated infections (HAIs) is the inherent need to measure the burden of infection and disease, classically referred to as surveillance. Australia does not have a national HAI surveillance system making it very difficult to systematically assess and report on the burden of hospital-acquired HAIs. This systematic review reports the incidence burden of HAIs in Australian hospitals as reported in the peer-reviewed literature from 2010 to 2016. Methods: Systematic review of the peer-reviewed literature reporting the incidence of HAIs in Australian hospitals between from 2010 to 2016 was identified using MEDLINE and CINAHL databases. The study protocol is registered with PROSPERO (registration number: CRD42016052997). Results: Of the 844 articles identified in the search, 24 articles were included in this review. Overall, these data suggest 83,096 HAIs per year in Australia, comprising 71,186 urinary tract infections, 4902 Clostridium difficile infections, 3946 surgical site infections, 1962 respiratory infections in acute stroke patients and 1100 hospital-onset Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia. This is very large underestimate given the lack of or incomplete data on common infections such as pneumonia, gastroenterological and bloodstream infection, thus potentially missing up to 50% 60% of infections. If that is the case, the incidence of HAIs in Australia may be closer to 165,000 per year. Conclusion: There is a dearth of peer-reviewed literature reporting the incidence of HAIs in Australian hospitals, making it very difficult to an accurate burden of infection. On the eve of a global ‘post antibiotic era’, the need for national consensus on definitions, surveillance methodology and reporting is paramount

Disaster content in Australian tertiary postgraduate emergency nursing courses: a survey

Background Emergency nurses play a pivotal role in disaster relief during the response to, and recovery of both in-hospital and out-of-hospital disasters. Postgraduate education is important in preparing and enhancing emergency nurses' preparation for disaster nursing practice. The disaster nursing content of Australian tertiary postgraduate emergency nursing courses has not been compared across courses and the level of agreement about suitable content is not known. Aim To explore and describe the disaster content in Australian tertiary postgraduate emergency nursing courses. Method A retrospective, exploratory and descriptive study of the disaster content of Australian tertiary postgraduate emergency nursing courses conducted in 2009. Course convenors from 12 universities were invited to participate in a single structured telephone survey. Data was analysed using descriptive statistics. Results Ten of the twelve course convenors from Australian tertiary postgraduate emergency nursing courses participated in this study. The content related to disasters was varied, both in terms of the topics covered and duration of disaster content. Seven of these courses included some content relating to disaster health, including types of disasters, hospital response, nurses' roles in disasters and triage. The management of the dead and dying, and practical application of disaster response skills featured in only one course. Three courses had learning objectives specific to disasters. Conclusion The majority of courses had some disaster content but there were considerable differences in the content chosen for inclusion across courses. The incorporation of core competencies such as those from the International Council of Nurses and the World Health Organisation, may enhance content consistency in curriculum. Additionally, this content could be embedded within a proposed national education framework for disaster health.No Full Tex

Hand hygiene knowledge and practices, and rates of respiratory tract infections between Hajj and Umrah pilgrims: a comparative study

Background: Hajj and Umrah mass gatherings (MGs) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia amplify the risk of viral respiratory tract infections (RTIs), but there is a lack of comparative data from these two MGs. This study aims to compare pilgrims’ hand hygiene knowledge, practices, and rates of RTIs during the peak periods of Umrah and Hajj in 2021. Materials and methods: The datasets of this comparative study were obtained from two previously conducted studies that used similar study tools and identical syndromic definitions. The binary logistic regression was applied to compare the categorical variables and, a t-test was used to compare the continuous variables. Results: A total of 510 Hajj pilgrims and 507 Umrah pilgrims were recruited. The majority of Hajj pilgrims (68%) were ≥ 40 years old, while most Umrah pilgrims (63%) were < 40 years old. The mean total knowledge scores of hand hygiene between the Hajj and Umrah pilgrims differed significantly (4.1 vs. 3.7, respectively, p < 0.001) so did their compliance with frequent use of alcohol-based hand rubs (53.0% vs. 36.3%, respectively, p < 0.001) and the rates of RTIs (4.7% vs. 2.2%, respectively, p = 0.05). Conclusions: These differences could be attributable to the distinctive characteristics of Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages, and the unique differences in risks posed by those MGs

The burden of healthcare-associated infection in Australian hospitals: a systematic review of the literature

IntroductionCentral to all efforts to control and prevent healthcare associated infections (HAIs) is the inherent need to measure the burden of infection and disease, classically referred to as surveillance. Australia does not have a national HAI surveillance system making it very difficult to systematically assess and report on the burden of hospital-acquired HAIs. This systematic review reports the incidence burden of HAIs in Australian hospitals as reported in the peer-reviewed literature from 2010 to 2016.MethodsSystematic review of the peer-reviewed literature reporting the incidence of HAIs in Australian hospitals between from 2010 to 2016 was identified using MEDLINE and CINAHL databases. The study protocol is registered with PROSPERO (registration number: CRD42016052997).ResultsOf the 844 articles identified in the search, 24 articles were included in this review. Overall, these data suggest 83,096 HAIs per year in Australia, comprising 71,186 urinary tract infections, 4902 Clostridium difficile infections, 3946 surgical site infections, 1962 respiratory infections in acute stroke patients and 1100 hospital-onset Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia. This is very large underestimate given the lack of or incomplete data on common infections such as pneumonia, gastroenterological and bloodstream infection, thus potentially missing up to 50%–60% of infections. If that is the case, the incidence of HAIs in Australia may be closer to 165,000 per year.ConclusionThere is a dearth of peer-reviewed literature reporting the incidence of HAIs in Australian hospitals, making it very difficult to an accurate burden of infection. On the eve of a global ‘post antibiotic era’, the need for national consensus on definitions, surveillance methodology and reporting is paramount

Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 influenza outbreak in Australia : impact on emergency departments

Executive summary\ud Objective:\ud The aims of this study were to identify the impact of Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 Influenza on Australian Emergency Departments (EDs) and their staff, and to inform planning, preparedness, and response management arrangements for future pandemics, as well as managing infectious patients presenting to EDs in everyday practice.\ud Methods\ud This study involved three elements:\ud 1. The first element of the study was an examination of published material including published statistics. Standard literature research methods were used to identify relevant published articles. In addition, data about ED demand was obtained from Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing (DoHA) publications, with several state health departments providing more detailed data.\ud 2. The second element of the study was a survey of Directors of Emergency Medicine identified with the assistance of the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine (ACEM). This survey retrieved data about demand for ED services and elicited qualitative comments on the impact of the pandemic on ED management.\ud 3. The third element of the study was a survey of ED staff. A questionnaire was emailed to members of three professional colleges—the ACEM; the Australian College of Emergency Nursing (ACEN); and the College of Emergency Nursing Australasia (CENA). The overall response rate for the survey was 18.4%, with 618 usable responses from 3355 distributed questionnaires. Topics covered by the survey included ED conditions during the (H1N1) 2009 influenza pandemic; information received about Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 Influenza; pandemic plans; the impact of the pandemic on ED staff with respect to stress; illness prevention measures; support received from others in work role; staff and others’ illness during the pandemic; other factors causing ED staff to miss work during the pandemic; and vaccination against Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 Influenza. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected and analysed.\ud Results:\ud The results obtained from Directors of Emergency Medicine quantifying the impact of the pandemic were too limited for interpretation. Data sourced from health departments and published sources demonstrated an increase in influenza-like illness (ILI) presentations of between one and a half and three times the normal level of presentations of ILIs. Directors of Emergency Medicine reported a reasonable level of preparation for the pandemic, with most reporting the use of pandemic plans that translated into relatively effective operational infection control responses. Directors reported a highly significant impact on EDs and their staff from the pandemic. Growth in demand and related ED congestion were highly significant factors causing distress within the departments. Most (64%) respondents established a ‘flu clinic’ either as part of Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 Influenza Outbreak in Australia: Impact on Emergency Departments.\ud the ED operations or external to it. They did not note a significantly higher rate of sick leave than usual.\ud Responses relating to the impact on staff were proportional to the size of the colleges. Most respondents felt strongly that Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 Influenza had a significant impact on demand in their ED, with most patients having low levels of clinical urgency. Most respondents felt that the pandemic had a negative impact on the care of other patients, and 94% revealed some increase in stress due to lack of space for patients, increased demand, and filling staff deficits. Levels of concern about themselves or their family members contracting the illness were less significant than expected. Nurses displayed significantly higher levels of stress overall, particularly in relation to skill-mix requirements, lack of supplies and equipment, and patient and patients’ family aggression. More than one-third of respondents became ill with an ILI. Whilst respondents themselves reported taking low levels of sick leave, respondents cited difficulties with replacing absent staff. Ranked from highest to lowest, respondents gained useful support from ED colleagues, ED administration, their hospital occupational health department, hospital administration, professional colleges, state health department, and their unions. Respondents were generally positive about the information they received overall; however, the volume of information was considered excessive and sometimes inconsistent. The media was criticised as scaremongering and sensationalist and as being the cause of many unnecessary presentations to EDs. Of concern to the investigators was that a large proportion (43%) of respondents did not know whether a pandemic plan existed for their department or hospital. A small number of staff reported being redeployed from their usual workplace for personal risk factors or operational reasons. As at the time of survey (29 October –18 December 2009), 26% of ED staff reported being vaccinated against Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 Influenza. Of those not vaccinated, half indicated they would ‘definitely’ or ‘probably’ not get vaccinated, with the main reasons being the vaccine was ‘rushed into production’, ‘not properly tested’, ‘came out too late’, or not needed due to prior infection or exposure, or due to the mildness of the disease.\ud Conclusion:\ud Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 Influenza had a significant impact on Australian Emergency Departments. The pandemic exposed problems in existing plans, particularly a lack of guidelines, general information overload, and confusion due to the lack of a single authoritative information source. Of concern was the high proportion of respondents who did not know if their hospital or department had a pandemic plan. Nationally, the pandemic communication strategy needs a detailed review, with more engagement with media networks to encourage responsible and consistent reporting. Also of concern was the low level of immunisation, and the low level of intention to accept vaccination. This is a problem seen in many previous studies relating to seasonal influenza and health care workers. The design of EDs needs to be addressed to better manage infectious patients. Significant workforce issues were confronted in this pandemic, including maintaining appropriate staffing levels; staff exposure to illness; access to, and appropriate use of, personal protective equipment (PPE); and the difficulties associated with working in PPE for prolonged periods. An administrative issue of note was the reporting requirement, which created considerable additional stress for staff within EDs. Peer and local support strategies helped ensure staff felt their needs were provided for, creating resilience, dependability, and stability in the ED workforce. Policies regarding the establishment of flu clinics need to be reviewed. The ability to create surge capacity within EDs by considering staffing, equipment, physical space, and stores is of primary importance for future pandemics

Australasian emergency nurses\u27 willingness to attend work in a disaster: a survey

Abstract not availablePaul Arbon, Jamie Ranse, Lynette Cusack, Julie Considine, Ramon Z. Shaban, Richard J. Woodman, Laura Bahnisch, Mayumi Kako, Karen Hammad, Belinda Mitchel