Infection control conference catered for wide range of nurses.

Antibiotic resistance, intravenous device surveillance and the decontamination and sterilisation of instruments were three major themes at NZNO's infection control division annual conference in Auckland last month.

Outgoing division chair Ruth Barratt said around 200 attended the three-day conference, the them of which was "Meeting infection control challenges across the health care spectrum". The 24th annual conference offered a diverse range of topics to suit experienced infection control practitioners, right through to those nurses who just had an interest in the area, Barratt said.

A key note speaker was professor of the Department of Internal Medicine at the Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia in the United States and lead editor of A Guide for Infection Control in the Hospital Richard Wenzel. He gave three addresses: the first on antibiotic resistance; the second on catheter-related infections, particularly candida; and the third on the public disclosure of hospitals' infection rates. Barratt said the division had been privileged to have such an emiment keynote speaker.

Infection control clinical nurse consultant at Brisbane's Princess Alexandra Hospital, Jenny Stackelroth, was the second keynote speaker and gave four presentations. The first was on methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) outbreak control strategies; the second on infection control in anaesthesia; the third on reducing public health risks associated with reuseable medical devices; and the last on intravascular device surveillance.

Barratt said all Stackelroth's presentations were practical and relevant.

There were a number of presentations at the conference with a community focus. Capital and Coast District Health Board's community-based infection control facilitator Suzanne Miller spoke on the role of the community infection control nurse and Waikato Hospital nurse Julie Betts spoke on honey and wound care. Another presentation looked at infection control benchmarking in residential care.

The award for best paper presentation went to Waikato Hopsital infection control nurse Vicki Parry whose address was entitled "Outbreak investigation of a fatal infection with enterobacter sakasakii in a neonatal intensive care unit" The award for best new presenter went to infection control co-ordinator at Auckland District Health Board, Debbie Jowitt, whose presentation, "Boils, babies and breast abcesses: the H-bug epidemic in New Zealand" was an historical perspective. The conference had also given the division a chance to discuss their disappointment at the Institute of Environmental Science and Research Lid's (ESR) lack of consultation with infection control nurses over its changed reporting procedures for MRSA and other antibiotic resistant infections. "The changes have a direct impact on infection control nurses but we had not been involved in any of the decisions about the changes. But we had an opportunity to have a meaningful discussion with Middlemore Hospital's infectious diseases consultant David Holland, who had been on the ESR working group looking at the changes. We had written a formal letter to the working party expressing our disappointment at the lack of consultation. David Holland came to the conference and acknowledged and apologized for that lack of consultation. It was a useful exercise," Barratt said. The division's annual general meeting was held during the conference and a new chair, Wellington infection control nurse Viv McEnnis was installed; a new logo was approved and new conference guidelines were endorsed.

Next year's conference will be he[d in Christchurch.