13 February 2008: AMA (NSW) has urged NSW Health to adopt international best practice on infection control in NSW hospitals and to publish comparative data on infection rates.

“AMA (NSW) supports the call by the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons to adopt search and destroy tactics, and to publish the infection rates of individual hospitals,” said AMA (NSW) President Dr Andrew Keegan.

“Infection rates in NSW hospitals need to be reduced. With transparent reporting, we are more likely to see some action to address the problem.  A co-ordinated response to findings is essential.

“AMA (NSW) is in favour of open and transparent reporting, based on sound methods.  Proper clinical governance calls for accountability. This is a question of management, workforce skill sets, proper staffing and work practices. Individual hospitals, their administration and clinicians must collectively be responsible for infection control. A low rate of hospital acquired infections is simply something that all hospitals should aspire to. 

“The publication of measures of hospital performance like infection rates and control is most unlikely to prevent individual doctors from reporting adverse incidents. They are facts that can be easily gathered and used to identify areas of concern that require attention.

“Reporting and analysis need to be followed by funding and infection reduction programs.  Our hospitals do not need more reports and recommendations which are not acted on,” Dr Keegan said.