Objective 4: Infection prevention and control
Objective Four of the National Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Strategy aims to improve infection, prevention and control measures across all sectors.
Why is this important?
Strategies to prevent and control infections are important to reduce the spread of infection. They:
- stop the chain of infection
- reduce the need for antibiotics
- reduce antibiotic resistance developing.
Normal ways to prevent and control infection include:
- hand hygiene
- using personal protective equipment
- appropriate handling and disposal of sharps
- equipment cleaning and disinfection
- environmental cleaning
- vaccination.
Transmission-based precautions are specific strategies used when standard precautions aren’t enough (such as when there is an outbreak).
Resistant organisms can spread between animals and people in the community and between people in healthcare facilities. Effective infection prevention and control can reduce the spread of resistant organisms.
View the full details of Objective Four of the National AMR Strategy 2015–2019, including specific priority areas of action.
What are we doing?
Australia has a good national infection prevention and control program in health care.
The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care manages programs including:
- The National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Standards require all hospitals to have measures to prevent and control healthcare associated infection.
- The Australian Guidelines for the Prevention and Control of Infection in Healthcare (2010) are guidelines based on evidence that help to manage antimicrobial resistant organisms.
- The National Hand Hygiene Initiative (NHHI) is based on the World Health Organization’s My 5 Moments for Hand Hygiene. It includes:
- resources for health care workers and the community on how to wash your hands properly
- an audit and feedback system.
- The MyHospitals website allows the public to report cases of Staphylococcus aureus bacteria, also known as ‘golden staph’. The website also provides hand hygiene compliance rates for all public hospitals.
Other infection prevention and control initiatives:
- The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners has developed the Infection prevention and control standards (5th edition). This manual helps staff working in general practice to implement procedures to prevent infection and to control infection if it happens.
- The website farmbiosecurity.com.au is for farmers and livestock producers. It has resources on the steps they can take to prevent pests and diseases coming onto their property. It also has steps farmers can take to reduce the spread of pests or disease if they do enter their property.
- AUSVETPLAN is a group of manuals that explain how to disinfect and control emergency animal diseases such as bird flu.
- The Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) has written the Guidelines for Veterinary Personal Biosecurity. This manual helps animal health professionals to control infections from spreading. It also explains how to limit the risk of getting a disease from an animal.
- The Australian Cattle Veterinarians is a special interest group of the AVA. It has developed the BIOCHECK Biosecurity Plan. The Plan helps producers think about major disease and pest risks and tells them how to put in place procedures to prevent disease.
Find out more about infection prevention and control for:
- Hospitals
- General practice
- Aged care facilities
- Veterinary practice
- Agriculture and industry
- General public
Find out more about what partners from across Australia are doing to support Objective Four of the National AMR Strategy.
Share your activity or research project that supports Objective Four of the National AMR Strategy.