Annual Report 2008-09 - Austin Health

“Hand hygiene is the single most
important strategy in reducing hospitalacquired
infections,” said Prof Grayson.
He led the development of the DeBug
Program at Austin Health, a hand
hygiene compliance initiative using an
alcohol-based hand rub. Its success led
to the introduction of the program into all
hospitals state-wide. The national rollout
is now underway.
Prof Grayson is building on the gains
made through the program. Currently,
his team is finetuning the optimal ways
in which to educate the different craft
groups within health care on facets of
dealing with superbugs, and the infection
control procedures that are necessary to
control them.
His knowledge, and that of his team,
is highly sought after by his students
– medical undergraduates, interns
and HMOs.
“It is exciting that the Infectious Diseases
rotation attracts competition by young
doctors,” he said. “Our residents are
some of the busiest in the hospital, and
we have great expectations of them.
They are enthused about enquiring into
diseases and finding solutions to them.”
It is the challenge of developing better
ways of approaching infection control
and finding innovative solutions that
keeps Prof Grayson excited about
coming to work.
“Encouragingly, the Austin has a very
open culture,” he said.
“We address issues and declare them
openly. That allows us the freedom to
deal with them openly. At Austin Health
we identify systematic problems and
find systematic solutions. That quality is
what makes us the key leading research
hospital in Australia.”
Pictured above: Prof Lindsay Grayson with
Wei Gao, infection control research scientist
in Austin Health’s microbiology lab.
Prof Lindsay Grayson is director
of the Infectious Diseases and
Microbiology at Austin Health;
Professor of Medicine, The University
of Melbourne and Honorary Professor
in the Department of Epidemiology
and Preventive Medicine, Monash
University.
He is author of over 95 articles and
is a Member on the editorial board
of Clinical Infectious Diseases and
also Antimicrobial Agents and
Chemotherapy, Washington DC USA.
Hear Prof Grayson speaking to Prof Jeffrey Zajac about
infectious diseases at www.austin.org.au/podcasts
Austin Health : 2008-09 ANNUAL REPORT
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