Report of the announced monitoring assessment at Bantry ... - hiqa.ie

Report of the announced monitoring assessment at Bantry General Hospital, CorkHealth Information and Quality AuthorityEssential Element 3(c). There are defined PCHCAI performance metrics and auditprocess in place with a particular emphasis on:- surgical site infection rates- environmental and equipment hygiene- antimicrobial prescribing- hand hygiene- infection related to the use of invasive medical devices- HCAI trend rates and analysis.Findings Essential Element 3(c).Surgical site infection ratesSurgical site infections (SSIs) are infections that occur in a wound created by aninvasive surgical procedure. They are a risk associated with any surgical procedure.Audit of SSIs facilitates monitoring of, and subsequent attempts to reduce, levels ofinfection.There were no audit results submitted on surgical site infection rates in BantryGeneral Hospital. This was confirmed in meetings with staff. Without audit, theHospital’s management team is not in a position to monitor surgical site infectionrates. Audit provides a useful key quality indicator to enable adequate monitoring ofinfection rates and lack of audit is not compliant with the Standards.Environmental and equipment hygieneEnvironmental and equipment hygiene audits are undertaken regularly. Staff in eacharea self-audit once a month. The Hygiene Team selects an area within the Hospitaleach month to audit also. These audits are circulated to staff and reflect ongoingimprovements.Antimicrobial prescribing feedbackThere is no antimicrobial prescribing feedback in Bantry General Hospital.Antimicrobial prescribing feedback is a significant strategy that has showndemonstrable benefits in the prevention and control of HCAIs. The absence of suchpractice is non-compliant with the Standards and poses a risk of HCAIs to patients inBantry General Hospital.12