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6. Infection control
•
The audit revealed that patients admitted as surgical are at an increased risk of developing infection.
The risk is high especially in such a comorbid group of patients therefore stringent infection control
care should be considered in this patient pool. The Australian Guidelines for the Prevention and
Control of Infection in Healthcare are designed to prevent and manage healthcare associated
infection (HAI), these should be utilised at hospitals, therefore VASM endorses the use of current
hospital protocols and guidelines to reduce the incidence of infection.
(2)
•
Key actions to be taken for control and management are:
•
timely recognition
•
appropriate investigation
•
rapid administration of treatment
•
timely involvement of expert teams.
7. In-hospital fall prevention
•
The audit revealed that patients admitted as surgical emergencies have a greater risk of falling while
in hospital. All health professionals should increase their awareness of this risk to improve the quality
and safety of patient care.
•
The Best Practice Guidelines for Australian Hospitals, Residential Aged Care Facilities and
Community Care
(3)
are designed to facilitate practices that reduce falls and associated harm. The
VASM endorses the use of current hospital protocols and guidelines to reduce the incidence of in-
hospital falls.
(4, 5)
8. Improved communication
•
All health professionals and institutions should actively collaborate and communicate to effectively
support an appropriate interchange of information and coordination of patient care at all stages during
the admission episode.