Infection Prevention and Vascular Access Group
Healthcare should be safe, but the World Health Organisation reports one in 10 hospital patients are harmed by an avoidable infection, often of the blood, lungs or urine. Such infections are life-threatening, causing suffering, prolonged hospital stay and costs. Nurses, midwife's, doctors, scientists, epidemiologists and cleaners play key roles in infection prevention and surveillance.
We work with clinicians and consumers to generate and use evidence for clinical practices that prevent and detect infection across clinical specialties. A particular focus is on the prevention of infections in invasive medical devices such as IV therapy catheters which cause one third of healthcare associated bloodstream infections.
Selection of current research projects
- Strengthening Hospital Associated Infection Surveillance in Queensland: A Statewide consensus project.
- Healthcare Acquired Infection Data Connectivity.
- Difficult Access Requires Thought, Training and Technology (DART 3): Co-developing an ultrasound pathway for patients with difficult intravenous access.
- Mortality, length of stay, and cost attributable to CRBSI and CLABSI in patients with a central venous catheter in an Australian tertiary hospital: a case-control study.
- Prediction of catheter associated bloodstream infection in critically ill adults.
- “Protect PIVCs” (ProP Trial): An adaptive randomized controlled trial of a novel antimicrobial dressing for peripheral intravenous catheters (PIVCs).
- The IVCare adaptive platform trial: Towards zero bloodstream infections in IV catheters.
- Adding Value to iEMR Data (AViD Project) for vascular access devices.
- Evaluating the effectiveness of peripheral intravenous access training in undergraduate dual degree nursing and midwifery students.
- Bloodstream Infection Risk in Adults with Central or Arterial Intravascular Devices: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
- Prevalence and complications of idle peripheral intravenous catheters: A secondary analysis.
- Compact, point-of-care, handheld ultrasound for peripheral intravenous cannulation: A scoping review.
- Predicting catheter associated blood stream infection in critically ill adults.
- Determining the burden and cost of hospital acquired complications and infections in critically ill children.
- Zhen Li, Research Assistant (DART3)
Selection of recent grants
- Strengthening Hospital Associated Infection Surveillance in Queensland: A Statewide consensus project. Queensland Health Clinician Researcher Fellowship.
- Just Say No to the Just in Case Cannula: An Implementation Science Trial with Roadmap for National Roll Out. MRFF Clinical Trials Activity.
- The IVCare adaptive platform trial: Towards zero bloodstream infections in IV catheters. NHMRC Investigator Grants Leadership 2.
- Centre of Research Excellence in Wiser Wound Care. NHMRC Centres of Research Excellence Scheme.
- Difficult peripheral intravenous catheter insertion: Australian considerations for sustainable implementation of ultrasound guided procedures. NHMRC Partnership Projects Scheme.
- Prediction of catheter associated bloodstream infection in critically ill adults. HeIDI and CSIRO IDR and AMR Mission Affiliated Projects.
- Promoting safe, high quality care for every child: Harnessing binational knowledge and expertise to develop quality indicators for paediatric critical care. Intensive Care Foundation.
Health service and government
- Aeromedical Retrieval and Disaster Management Branch (Qld Health)
- Australian Commission on Quality and Safety in Healthcare (ACSQHC)
- Children’s Health Queensland HHS (Qld Health)
- Clinical Excellence Queensland (CEQ)
- CSIRO
- Darling Downs HHS (Qld Health)
- Digital Healthcare Improvement Clinical Network
- Gold Coast HHS (Qld Health)
- Herston Infectious Diseases Institute (HeIDI)
- Metro North HHS (Qld Health)
- Metro South HHS (Qld Health)
- Pathology Queensland (Qld Health)
- Queensland Digital Health Centre (QDHeC)
- Queensland Infection Clinical Network (QICN)
- Telethon Kids Institute
University
- Central Queensland University
- Griffith University
- Monash University
- Queensland University of Technology
- The University of Sydney
- University of Colorado
- University of Melbourne
- University of the Sunshine Coast
Industry
- 3M
- Angiodynamics
- B Braun
- Becton Dickinson (BD)
- Cardinal Health
- Continulus
- Eloquest
- ITL BioMedical
- Medical Services Australia
- Sentry Medical
- Wolters Kluwer Lippincott
Other
- Alliance for Vascular Access Teaching and Research (AVATAR)
- Association for Vascular Access (AVA)
- Australasian College for Infection Prevention and Control (ACIPC)
- Australasian Nursing Midwifery Clinical Trials Network
- Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences (AAHMS)
- Australian Clinical Trials Association (ACTA)
- Australian College of Critical Care Nurses (ACCCN)
- Australian College of Nursing (ACN)
- Australian Vascular Access Society (AVAS)
- Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Foundation
- Australia and New Zealand Intensive Care Society (ANZICS)
- Global Health Nurses Network
- Health Translation Queensland
- Infusion Nurses Society (INS)
- IV Nursing New Zealand (IVNNZ)
- Sigma Theta Tau International (STTI)
- Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA)
- Wiser Wounds Centre of Research Excellence
- World Health Organization (WHO)
- Joanne Curlis (HONOURS): Infections and complications associated with endotracheal tubes in paediatrics
- Jane Wickins (MASTERS): The role of securement devices in preventing urinary catheter device complications
- Tricia Kleidon (PhD):Techniques and technologies to improve peripheral intravenous catheter insertion and reduce complications in paediatrics
- Emily Larsen (PhD): Developing patient reported outcome and experience measures for peripheral venous access
- Daner Ball (PhD): Co-designing a policy review process tool amongst nursing and midwifery.