The same but different: a comparison of Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infections in metropolitan and non‐metropolitan hospitals (2010–2020)

Background Variation of infection rates between hospitals must be identified; differences may highlight opportunities for quality improvement in healthcare delivery to specific hospitals groups. Aims To analyse burden, time trends and risks of healthcare‐associated (HA) Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infections (SABSI) in patients admitted to Victorian metropolitan and non‐metropolitan public acute care hospitals. Methods SABSI surveillance data submitted between 1 July 2010 and 30 June 2020 by all 118 Victorian public acute care hospitals were analysed. Aligned with the Australian Statistical Geography Standard Remoteness Structure, these hospitals were classified as metropolitan (major cities) or non‐metropolitan (inner regional, outer regional, remote or very remote). Results Most SABSI were community associated: 66.9% and 75.0% of metropolitan (n = 9441) and non‐metropolitan (n = 2756) hospital SABSI respectively. The overall HA‐SABSI rate was statistically higher in metropolitan hospitals (1.13 per 10 000 occupied bed days (OBD)) compared with non‐metropolitan hospitals (0.82 per 10 000 OBD; P