The Management of Peripheral Intravenous Catheters Clinical Care Standard was launched on Wednesday 26th of May, 2021. The new standard was developed by the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care in consultation with consumers and healthcare professionals. This is very timely following the recent publication of the HISWA Aggregate Report for the January – March 2021 quarter which reported concerns about the increase in Healthcare Associated Staphylococcus aureus Bloodstream Infections (HA-SABSI) for the second consecutive quarter and the highest […]

The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has granted provisional approval to AstraZeneca Pty Ltd for its COVID-19 vaccine. The Product Information, FAQs and information on labelling and batch testing are also available on the COVID-19 vaccines hub. Information on COVID-19 vaccines and the priority rollout to aged care providers, workers and residents is available here. Further information on the COVID-19 vaccine rollout is also available on the Department of Health website.

The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has granted provisional approval to Pfizer Australia Pty Ltd for its COVID-19 vaccine. The Product Information, FAQs and information on labelling and batch testing are also available on the COVID-19 vaccines hub. Further information on the COVID-19 vaccine rollout is available on the Department of Health website

As of 29 January 2020, ‘Human coronavirus with pandemic potential’ has been declared an urgently notifiable disease under Part 9 of the Public Health Act 2016. It was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organisation on 11 March 2020. Any person who meets the following criteria are required to isolate themselves at home for 14 days from the date of travel or close contact. Criteria: Overseas or interstate travel in the past 14 days OR Close or casual contact […]

Aged care homes are important settings to better understand both antimicrobial resistance and antimicrobial use. Reports to date indicate that high levels of inappropriate antimicrobial prescribing and use occur in these settings, providing opportunities for improved antimicrobial prescribing. The 2018 report has recently been published and can be accessed at https://www.safetyandquality.gov.au/our-work/antimicrobial-resistance/antimicrobial-use-and-resistance-australia-surveillance-system-aura/antimicrobial-prescribing-australian-residential-aged-care

The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) Secretariat has advised that the Australian Immunisation Handbook (the Handbook) was updated on 4 October 2019 to reflect changes approved by the Chief Medical Officer, Professor Brendan Murphy, on 20 September 2019. A summary of the updates is available at the following link: https://immunisationhandbook.health.gov.au/about-the-handbook/updates Note: Changes include updates to 19 chapters of the Handbook, and various administrative updates to improve the usability of the Handbook, including updates to hyperlinks throughout the Handbook.

The Antibiotic Guidelines have been extensively revised and will now be published on eTG complete in real time as new evidence emerges https://tgldcdp.tg.org.au/etgcomplete

Today the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) released the revised Australian Guidelines for the Prevention and Control of Infection in Healthcare (2019). These Guidelines provide a nationally accepted approach to infection prevention and control, focusing on core principles and priority areas for action. The guidelines are underpinned by a risk-management framework, ensuring they can be applied to a wide range of healthcare settings including hospitals, day procedure units, office‑based practice, long-term care facilities, remote area health services, home and community […]

World Hand Hygiene Day 5 May 2019

There has been an update to the Guidelines for healthcare workers who perform exposure prone procedures and healthcare workers living with a blood borne virus (BBV). The Guidelines have been updated to reflect new evidence and are consistent with changes made by other countries. They provide information and recommendations for: all healthcare workers who perform EPPs; healthcare workers who live with a BBV and perform EPPs; treating doctors of healthcare workers with a BBV who perform EPPs; and public health authorities. The […]