The graph above shows the quarterly WA Health rate for healthcare associated
S.aureus bloodstream infections (HA-SABSI) i.e. the number of infections identified for every 10,000 days that a bed is occupied by a patient in a Western Australian Public Hospital.
Hospitals report HA-SABSI against a national benchmark rate of 1.0 and results less than or equal meet the benchmark.
Current and previous annual rate of HA-SABSI by Health Service Provider/Hospital
S.aureus or 'golden staph' are commonly found on the skin of healthy people. These germs (bacteria) from the patient's skin or from healthcare workers hands can gain direct entry into the patient's bloodstream if they have open wounds or undergo invasive procedures e.g surgery or insertion of devices such as intravenous lines.
Patients with HA-SABSI are more likely to suffer from complications that result in a longer length of stay. A large number of HA-SABSI are considered preventable.
Notes:
A rate indicates a relationship between 2 measurements with different units of measure. It is used here to describe HA-SABSI in patient populations of different sizes.
Rates reported quarterly are subject to large variation i.e. a small increase in the number of infections can result in a large increase in the infection rate.
Source
Healthcare Infection Surveillance WA (HISWA), Communicable Disease Control Directorate, Department of Health WA.