Caesarean section surgical site surveillance in a private healthcare setting: a collaboration with the Victorian Hospital Acquired Infection Surveillance System (VICNISS) Coordinating Centre

The aim of this study was to test the application of the Victorian Hospital Acquired Infection Surveillance System (VICNISS) surveillance methods in a large private sector provider of maternity services, and compare the infection rates and compliance with national guidelines for surgical antibiotic prophylaxis with the VICNISS aggregate results. VICNISS methods were adopted for a 3-month period for surveillance of surgical site infections following caesarean sections, with the involvement of many sectors within the hospital including surgeons, anaesthetists, maternity services and operating theatre staff. During the study period there were 96 emergency and 205 elective caesareans. There was one superficial infection. The rate of compliance for choice of surgical antibiotic prophylaxis was 95.3%. The collaboration demonstrated the willingness and ability of private healthcare providers to contribute to State infection control surveillance data and highlights the opportunity for State programs to benefit from the inclusion of private sector surveillance data.