Australian hospital morbidity data on antibiotic resistance

Area of Science:

• Infectious Diseases
• Public Health Surveillance
• Health Informatics

Background:

• Reports of drug-resistant microorganism infections are captured in the Australian National Hospital Morbidity Database (NHMD).
• Data includes diagnoses for Australian hospital admissions, coded using ICD-9-CM and ICD-10-AM.
• The NHMD is a valuable resource for monitoring infectious disease trends.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze trends in reported drug-resistant infections in Australian hospitals.
• To assess the utility of the NHMD for antibiotic resistance surveillance.
• To identify potential factors contributing to the observed increase in reported infections.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of data from the National Hospital Morbidity Database (NHMD) from 1994-95 to 2000-01.
• Examination of infection reports as principal diagnoses, co-morbidities, or complications.
• Correlation of reporting trends with the implementation of coding systems (ICD-9-CM, ICD-10-AM) and funding models.

Main Results:

• A marked increase in reported drug-resistant microorganism infections was observed between 1994-95 and 2000-01.
• Infections resistant to penicillins were the most frequently recorded.
• The introduction of updated coding systems and casemix-based funding likely improved documentation and reporting accuracy.

Conclusions:

• The NHMD is a crucial component of national antibiotic resistance surveillance in Australia.
• Routine data collection across nearly all hospital separations provides comprehensive coverage.
• Improved coding practices have enhanced the accurate reporting of drug-resistant infections.