Publications by authors named "Wendy Beckingham"
Background: In 2017, Australia experienced its highest levels of influenza virus activity since the 2009 pandemic. This allowed detailed comparison of the characteristics of patients with community and hospital-acquired influenza, and infection control factors that contributed to influenza spread.
Methods: A surveillance based study was conducted on hospitalised patients with laboratory-confirmed influenza at the Canberra Hospital during April-October 2017.
Objective: We investigated the risk factors and origins of the first known occurrence of VRE colonization in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at the Canberra Hospital.
Design: A retrospective case-control study.
Setting: A 21-bed neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and a 15-bed special care nursey (SCN) in a tertiary-care adult and pediatric hospital in Australia.
Background: Health care-associated infections are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in intensive care patients. The effect of daily washing with chlorhexidine on these infections is controversial.
Methods: Single-centre, retrospective, open-label, sequential period, interrupted time series (ITS) analysis in a 31-bed tertiary referral mixed intensive care unit (ICU), comparing daily washing with water and soap (from January 2011 to August 2013) with chlorhexidine washing (from November 2013 to December 2015), after the introduction of a unit-level policy of chlorhexidine washing.
Objectives: Urinary tract infections (UTIs) account for over 30% of healthcare-associated infections. The aim of this study was to determine healthcare-associated UTI (HAUTI) and catheter-associated UTI (CAUTI) point prevalence in six Australian hospitals to inform a national point prevalence process and compare two internationally accepted HAUTI definitions. We also described the level and comprehensiveness of clinical record documentation, microbiology laboratory and coding data at identifying HAUTIs and CAUTIs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: To report the quarterly incidence of hospital-identified Clostridium difficile infection (HI-CDI) in Australia, and to estimate the burden ascribed to hospital-associated (HA) and community-associated (CA) infections.
Design, Setting And Patients: Prospective surveillance of all cases of CDI diagnosed in hospital patients from 1 January 2011 to 31 December 2012 in 450 public hospitals in all Australian states and the Australian Capital Territory. All patients admitted to inpatient wards or units in acute public hospitals, including psychiatry, rehabilitation and aged care, were included, as well as those attending emergency departments and outpatient clinics.
Objective: To evaluate a hospital-wide surveillance and intervention program introduced to reduce the incidence of bloodstream infections (BSIs) caused by intravascular (IV) catheters.
Design, Setting And Participants: Prospective surveillance of all inpatients and outpatient attendees with positive blood cultures (both hospital-onset and community-onset) at a 500-bed tertiary referral hospital from 1998 to 2005.
Interventions: Prompt review of all positive blood cultures with identification of BSIs due to IV catheters and associated preventable factors; weekly team meetings and regular reports to clinical areas, with assistance to implement targeted interventions.