Mrs Judy Harris1
1Northern Health Melbourne, Epping, Australia
Biography:
Judy Harris is a Clinical Nurse Consultant for Northern Health Renal Service in Melbourne. She currently holds a dual role of Dialysis Co-ordinator and Renal Vascular Access nurse. Judy was first introduced to renal care at the Royal Children’s Hospital, where she initially trained in continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis and haemodialysis in the cardiac and renal unit. She worked as RN and ANUM in private haemodialysis until moving to Northern in 2021 as a Nurse Unit Manager.
Abstract:
Background & Aim
Peritoneal Dialysis (PD) and Haemodialysis pose a significant infection risk due to their reliance on and frequent use of invasive medical devices. The addition of a renal vascular access nurse to Northern Health (NH) in 2023 has improved oversight and prompted a drive for veracious surveillance of renal access outcomes and rates of infection.
Method
The Northern Renal Quality Improvement (NRQI) committee and NH Standard 3 Infection Prevention committee, have collaborated to develop a renal access infection surveillance and reporting program. The initial report was based on recommended guidelines, then developed into a more comprehensive picture of incidents, trends and strategic risk lowering measures with improved data over time.
Results
The surveillance program tracks and reports dialysis Central Line Associated Blood Stream Infection (CLABSI) rates, PD peritonitis rates and percentage of patients who remain peritonitis-free. Strategic measures associated with infection risk minimisation and details of specific infection incidents are included.
Reports are generated and reviewed quarterly by both committees. Identified issues, aim, action plan and recommendations are sought, with action outcomes reported in the following quarter. Targets for rates and audits have been set in line with internationally recognised standards.
Discussion
The renal access surveillance report provides a comprehensive overview of dialysis access infections, ensuring early detection of trends, prompting timely and effective revision of practices and implementation of infection control strategies. The report has prompted implementation of some new data measures and remains under review for quality improvement.