fields in the SSI module NHSN required fields or only VICNISS required fields?
• SSI: The Antibiotic End Time data will be very difficult to collect as it is seldom recorded accurately if at all on the anaesthetic chart. The Antibiotic and Antibiotic End Time were proposed as VICNISS required fields and have not been adopted from NHSN. In July 2000 the report of the Victorian Expert Working Group on Surveillance of Nosocomial Infections published a minimum data set recommended for use by VICNISS. The recommendations included that surgical site surveillance data be collected in the following areas relating to antibiotic usage: • Antibiotic given pre/peri operatively • Antibiotic name • Antibiotic route • Antibiotic time The Expert Advisory Group advised that: “The timing of antibiotic prophylaxis should be explored as a possible indicator for all Victorian hospitals. It is a process indicator but one clearly associated with outcomes.” p45. This reflected the importance of appropriate prophylactic antibiotic use in reducing surgical site infection rates. The VICNIS
