Who will take informed consent? {26a}
infections, healthcare-associated infections
INFECTIONS
This project collects data associated with human beings only. Data from all patients (> 18 years old) who are inpatients on one of the 10 wards on the day of the PPS will be used. As this project collects data associated with human beings only, there is no consent process and a waiver of consent has been sought and granted by the authorising Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC). The approach taken in this study with respect to a waiver of consent is consistent with other multi-centre studies where a point prevalence study of healthcare-associated infections has been undertaken as the primary outcome (and data collection method) and ethics approval has been granted (1,10,11). Similarly, our approach is consistent with stepped wedge trials with infections as the outcome and interventions that posed low risk and collected data from existing records. In these instances, a waiver of consent was granted.There are no interventions and no harm or discomfort to the patient as a result of the project. The benefits of the research justify any risk of harm associated with not obtaining consent. Results of the research are not individualised or patient identifiable. The study requires no direct involvement of patients; rather, it collates existing information obtained during their hospitalisation. No new information will be obtained about individual patients; therefore, results will have no significance for the individual welfare of patients.