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 and midwives play a key role in infection prevention and surveillance. The program works with clinicians 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 blood infections. Further information:
Metro North Infectious Diseases Institute
The program of research is led by Professor Claire Rickard
Difficult peripheral intravenous catheter insertion: Australian considerations for sustainable implementation of ultrasound guided procedures (2021–2024) NHMRC Partnership Projects
Chief Investigators: Professor Claire Rickard, Professor Amanda Ullman, Professor Nicole Marsh, Ms Tricia Kleidon, Professor Gerben Keijzers, Dr Jessica Schults, Professor Marie Cooke, Associate Professor Joshua Byrnes, Professor Robert Ware, Professor Louise Cullen, Professor Lisa Hall
Associate Investigators: Dr Catriona Booker, Dr Pauline Calleja, Dr Audra Gedmintas, Dr Henry Goldstein, Dr Stephanie Hadikusumo, Dr Krispin Hajkowicz, Dr Fiona Macfarlane, Associate Professor Steven McTaggart, Dr Nathan Peters, and Dr Stuart Watkins
Partner Organisations and Investigators: Children's Health Queensland Hospital and Health Service, Fiona Allsop; Gold Coast Hospital and Health Service, Dr Jeremy Wellwood; Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Healthcare, Alice Bhasale; Queensland Health Aeromedical Retrieval and Disaster Management Branch, Dr Mark Elcock; Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital (Queensland Health), Kerri McLeod