Skip to main content
NHS National Services Scotland Home

Surveillance of Healthcare Associated Infections in intensive care units

Published on 29 November 2024

Healthcare Associated Infections (HAI) are most widespread in intensive care units (ICU). Patients in intensive care are more likely to develop an HAI because they are very ill and usually require the use of medical devices, such as endotracheal tubes to help with breathing, as well as central venous catheter (CVC) lines to support their treatment and delivery of medicines. Surveillance of HAI in ICU includes:

Surveillance of HAI in ICU includes:

  • bloodstream infections
  • pneumonia (including both ventilator-associated and non-ventilator associated pneumonia)
  • CVC related infections

The Data and Intelligence team at ARHAI Scotland and the Scottish Intensive Care Audit Group (SICSAG) work collaboratively to lead a national surveillance programme for surveillance of HAI in ICUs. The SICSAG quality indicators for critical care mandate that all ICUs must have an ICU surveillance system in place and the HAI and AMR policy set out in 'HAI and AMR Policy Requirements' DL(2015) 19, states that ICUs in all NHS Boards should undertake HAI surveillance. Following a pause of surveillance to support the pandemic response, surveillance was recommenced in May 2023 as communicated in HAI DL (2023) 11. The national surveillance programme supports NHS boards to comply with these requirements.

Data to support the surveillance programme is collected through the SICSAG WardWatcher(TM) audit system and Electronic Communication of Surveillance Scotland. Guidance on accessing the WardWatcher(TM) system can be found via the SICSAG website.

Publications

Surveillance of Healthcare Associated Infections in Scottish Intensive Care Units. Annual report

Read the latest annual report below:

Surveillance of Healthcare Associated Infections in Scottish Intensive Care Units. Annual report of data from January to December 2018.

View all previous annual reports.

Protocols

Surveillance of Healthcare Associated Infections in ICU Protocol.

Infection prevention and control

For infection prevention and control guidance visit the A-Z pathogens section of the National Infection and Prevention Control Manual