Mary-Louise McLaws is Professor of Epidemiology, Healthcare Associated Infection and Infection Control and is a member of the World Health Organization Technical Steering Committee for the Infection Prevention and Control Global Unit. She has expertise in surveillance and patient safety improvement programs. She performed the first national prevalence survey of healthcare associated infections and on behalf of the Ministry of Health developed the first standardised surveillance and analysis system for healthcare associated infection. The World Health Organization appointed Mary-Louise as Advisor to China and Malaysia for the development of their national surveillance systems. She has expertise in hospital-based outbreaks of infections diseases and reviewed the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak in healthcare workers in Hong Kong and performed an evaluation of the SARS outbreak in Beijing. Mary-Louise has been appointed by the Commonwealth to review the Pandemic Influenza Guidelines for healthcare workers and developed an evidence-based personal protective equipment algorithm. She was a member of the core group for the World Health Organization Clean Care is Safer Care project. She has collaborated on many Clinical Excellence Commission patient safety projects that have won awards and been adopted by other states and territories. Her current projects include worked based on her seminal work on healthcare worker behaviour for the uptake of infection control practices and current international projects include antibiotic use and behaviour in Cambodia and epidemiology and prevention of infection in intensive care units in Turkey.
PUBLICATIONS
Journal articles
Duong MC;McLaws ML, 2017, 'Dangerous practices in a hemodialysis unit in Vietnam identify from mixed methods', BMC Infectious Diseases, vol. 17, http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12879-017-2290-3
McLaws ML;Kwok A, 2017, 'Letter to the editor on "Social cohesion: The missing factor required for a successful hand hygiene program"', American Journal of Infection Control, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ajic.2017.01.011
McLaws ML, 2017, 'Our health care workers need more than infection prevention best practice while caring for patients with novel and highly pathogenic infections', American Journal of Infection Control, vol. 45, pp. 4 - 5, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ajic.2016.09.016
Kwok YL A;Harris P;McLaws ML, 2017, 'Social cohesion: The missing factor required for a successful hand hygiene program', American Journal of Infection Control, vol. 45, pp. 222 - 227, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ajic.2016.10.021
Storr J;Twyman A;Zingg W;Damani N;Kilpatrick C;Reilly J;Price L;Egger M;Grayson ML;Kelley E;Allegranzi B;Caluwaerts A;El-Asady R;Fisher D;Gastmeier P;Holmes A;Jayatilleke K;McLaws ML;Mehta G;Mehtar S;Ndoye B;Otaíza F;Padoveze MC;Park B;Parneix P;Pittet D;Robertson V;Sesay-Kamara N;Seto WH;Talaat M;Unahalekhaka A;Curiel EV, 2017, 'Core components for effective infection prevention and control programmes: New WHO evidence-based recommendations', Antimicrobial Resistance and Infection Control, vol. 6, http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s13756-016-0149-9
Duong C;Turner R;McLaws M-L, 2016, 'Shewhart Charts and Two-Monthly Screening Interval to Monitor Hepatitis C and Hepatitis B Virus Infections in Two-Year Prospective Cohort Study of Hemodialysis Patients in Vietnam', Journal of Nephrology and Urology Research, vol. 4, pp. 5 - 14, http://dx.doi.org/10.12970/2310-984X.2016.04.01.3
Om C;Daily F;Vlieghe E;McLaughlin JC;McLaws ML, 2016, '"If it's a broad spectrum, it can shoot better": Inappropriate antibiotic prescribing in Cambodia', Antimicrobial Resistance and Infection Control, vol. 5, http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s13756-016-0159-7
Kwok YL A;Juergens CP;McLaws ML, 2016, 'Automated hand hygiene auditing with and without an intervention', American Journal of Infection Control, vol. 44, pp. 1475 - 1480, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ajic.2016.08.014
Om C;Vlieghe E;McLaughlin JC;Daily F;McLaws ML, 2016, 'Antibiotic prescribing practices: A national survey of Cambodian physicians', American Journal of Infection Control, vol. 44, pp. 1144 - 1148, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ajic.2016.03.062
Om C;McLaws ML, 2016, 'Antibiotics: Practice and opinions of Cambodian commercial farmers, animal feed retailers and veterinarians', Antimicrobial Resistance and Infection Control, vol. 5, http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s13756-016-0147-y
Spigelman AD;Rendalls S;McLaws ML;Gray A, 2016, 'Antimicrobial stewardship: Australia', International Journal of Health Governance, vol. 21, pp. 139 - 149, http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/IJHG-02-2016-0010
Burrell AR;McLaws ML;Fullick M;Sullivan RB;Sindhusake D, 2016, 'SEPSIS KILLS: early intervention saves lives', The Medical journal of Australia, vol. 204
McLaws M;Salmon S;Sax H;Pittet D, 2016, 'Questions linked to Salmon S, Pittet D, Sax H, McLaws ML. The ‘My five moments for hand hygiene’ concept for the overcrowded setting in resource-limited healthcare systems. J Hosp Infect 2015;91:95–99', Journal of Hospital Infection, vol. 92, pp. 294 - 294, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jhin.2015.06.003
Azim S;Juergens C;McLaws ML, 2016, 'An average hand hygiene day for nurses and physicians: The burden is not equal', American Journal of Infection Control, vol. 44, pp. 777 - 781, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ajic.2016.02.006
Azim S;Juergens C;Hines J;McLaws ML, 2016, 'Introducing automated hand hygiene surveillance to an Australian hospital: Mirroring the HOW2 Benchmark Study', American Journal of Infection Control, vol. 44, pp. 772 - 776, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ajic.2016.02.012
Lee YF;Merican H;Nallusamy R;Ong LM;Mohamed Nazir P;Hamzah HB;McLaws ML, 2016, 'Hand hygiene compliance in Penang, Malaysia: Human audits versus product usage', American Journal of Infection Control, vol. 44, pp. e95 - e97, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ajic.2015.12.031
McLaws ML;Chughtai AA;Salmon S;MacIntyre CR, 2016, 'A highly precautionary doffing sequence for health care workers after caring for wet Ebola patients to further reduce occupational acquisition of Ebola', American Journal of Infection Control, vol. 44, pp. 740 - 744, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ajic.2015.12.034
Duong CM;McLaws ML, 2016, 'An investigation of an outbreak of hepatitis C virus infections in a low-resourced hemodialysis unit in Vietnam', American Journal of Infection Control, vol. 44, pp. 560 - 566, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ajic.2016.01.014
Alp E;Orhan T;Kürkcü CA;Ersoy S;McLaws ML, 2015, 'The first six years of surveillance in pediatric and neonatal intensive care units in Turkey', Antimicrobial Resistance and Infection Control, vol. 4, http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s13756-015-0074-3
McLaws ML, 2015, 'The relationship between hand hygiene and health care-associated infection: It’s complicated', Infection and Drug Resistance, vol. 8, pp. 7 - 18, http://dx.doi.org/10.2147/IDR.S62704
Duong CM;Olszyna DP;Nguyen PD;McLaws ML, 2015, 'Challenges of hemodialysis in Vietnam: Experience from the first standardized district dialysis unit in Ho Chi Minh City', BMC Nephrology, vol. 16, http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12882-015-0117-2
File K;McLaws ML, 2015, 'Ni-Vanuatu health-seeking practices for general health and childhood diarrheal illness: Results from a qualitative methods study', BMC Research Notes, vol. 8, http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s13104-015-1151-7
Salmon S;McLaws ML, 2015, 'Environmental challenges of identifying a patient zone and the healthcare zone in a crowded Vietnamese hospital', Journal of Hospital Infection, vol. 91, pp. 45 - 52, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jhin.2015.04.020
Salmon S;McLaws M-L, 2015, 'Qualitative findings from focus group discussions on hand hygiene compliance among health care workers in Vietnam', American Journal of Infection Control, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ajic.2015.05.039
Kwok YL A;Callard M;McLaws M-L, 2015, 'An automated hand hygiene training system improves hand hygiene technique but not compliance', American Journal of Infection Control, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ajic.2015.04.201
Salmon S;Pittet D;Sax H;McLaws ML, 2015, 'The 'My five moments for hand hygiene' concept for the overcrowded setting in resource-limited healthcare systems', Journal of Hospital Infection, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jhin.2015.04.011
Duong CM;Olszyna DP;McLaws ML, 2015, 'Hepatitis B and C virus infections among patients with end stage renal disease in a low-resourced hemodialysis center in Vietnam: A cross-sectional study', BMC Public Health, vol. 15, http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12889-015-1532-9
Azim SF;Nimmo G;McLaws ML, 2015, 'Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) antibiogram: how inaccurate have our estimates been?', Journal of global antimicrobial resistance
Kwok YL A;Gralton J;McLaws ML, 2015, 'Face touching: A frequent habit that has implications for hand hygiene', American Journal of Infection Control, vol. 43, pp. 112 - 114, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ajic.2014.10.015
Gralton J;Mclaws M-L;Rawlinson WD, 2015, 'Personal clothing as a potential vector of respiratory virus transmission in childcare settings', Journal of Medical Virology, http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/jmv.24102
Salmon S;McLaws ML;Fisher D, 2015, 'Community-based care of Ebola virus disease in west Africa', The Lancet Infectious Diseases, vol. 15, pp. 151 - 152, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S1473-3099(14)71080-1
McLaws ML;Farahangiz S;Palenik CJ;Askarian M, 2015, 'Iranian healthcare workers' perspective on hand hygiene: A qualitative study', Journal of Infection and Public Health, vol. 8, pp. 72 - 79, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jiph.2014.05.004
Coombs GW;Daly DA;Pearson JC;Nimmo GR;Collignon PJ;McLaws ML;Robinson JO;Turnidge JD, 2014, 'Community-onset Staphylococcus aureus Surveillance Programme annual report, 2012', Communicable diseases intelligence quarterly report, vol. 38, pp. E59 - E69
Coombs GW;Nimmo GR;Daly DA;Le TT;Pearson JC;Tan HL;Robinson JO;Collignon PJ;McLaws ML;Turnidge JD, 2014, 'Australian Staphylococcus aureus Sepsis Outcome Programme annual report, 2013', Communicable diseases intelligence quarterly report, vol. 38, pp. E309 - E319
Salmon S;McLaws ML, 2014, 'Environmental challenges of identifying a patient zone and the healthcare zone in a crowded Vietnamese hospital', Journal of Hospital Infection, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jhin.2015.04.020
Azim S;Nimmo GR;McLaws ML, 2014, 'Meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) antibiogram: How inaccurate have our estimates been?', Journal of Global Antimicrobial Resistance, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jgar.2015.02.003
Duong MC;Olszyna DP;Nguyen DP;Ngo TD;McLaws M, 2014, 'Pattern of end stage renal disease and seroprevalence of hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus infections among chronic haemodialysis patients in Vietnam: a single-centre experience', Y Hoc TP, Ho Chi Minh, vol. 18, pp. S206 - S211
Alp E;Altun D;Cevahir F;Ersoy S;Cakir O;McLaws ML, 2014, 'Evaluation of the effectiveness of an infection control program in adult intensive care units: A report from a middle-income country', American Journal of Infection Control, vol. 42, pp. 1056 - 1061, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ajic.2014.06.015
McLaws ML;Azim S, 2014, 'RE: Doctor, do you have a moment? National Hand Hygiene Initiative compliance in Australian hospitals', Medical Journal of Australia, vol. 201, pp. 265, http://dx.doi.org/10.5694/mja14.00853
Azim S;McLaws ML, 2014, 'Doctor, do you have a moment? national hand hygiene initiative compliance in Australian hospitals', Medical Journal of Australia, vol. 200, pp. 534 - 537, http://dx.doi.org/10.5694/mja13.11203
McLaws M-L;Ghahramani S;Palenik CJ;Keshtkar V;Askarian M, 2014, 'Assessment of injection practice in primary health care facilities of Shiraz, Iran', American Journal of Infection Control, vol. 42, pp. 300 - 304, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ajic.2013.09.006
McLaws M;McLaws ML;Jarvis WR, 2014, 'Central Line-associated Bloodstream Infection (CLA-BSI) Rates: Achieving the Elusive Goal of Zero.', Healthcare Infection, vol. 19, pp. 39 - 41, http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/HI14002
McLaws M, 2014, 'Epidemiology of HAIs: Uses, pitfalls and the future.', Microbiology Australia, vol. 35, pp. 17 - 23, http://microbiology.publish.csiro.au/
Assadian O;Kramer A;Ouriel K;Suchomel M;McLaws ML;Rottman M;Leaper D;Assadian A, 2014, 'Suppression of surgeons' bacterial hand flora during surgical procedures with a new antimicrobial surgical Glove', Surgical Infections, vol. 15, pp. 43 - 49, http://dx.doi.org/10.1089/sur.2012.230
Salmon S;McLaws M-L;Truong AT;Nguyen VH;Pittet D, 2014, 'Health care workers' hand contamination levels and antibacterial efficacy of different hand hygiene methods used in a Vietnamese hospital', American Journal of Infection Control, vol. 42, pp. 178 - 181, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ajic.2013.07.013
Salmon S;Tran HL;Bùi DP;Pittet D;McLaws ML, 2014, 'Beginning the journey of hand hygiene compliance monitoring at a 2,100-bed tertiary hospital in Vietnam', American Journal of Infection Control, vol. 42, pp. 71 - 73, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ajic.2013.07.011
Assadian O;Kramer A;Ouriel K;Suchomel M;McLaws M;Rottman M;Leaper D;Assadian A, 2014, 'Prospective, double-blind, randomized controlled single-centre trial: suppression of surgeons.', Surgical Infections, vol. 15, pp. 43 - 49
Coombs GW;Nimmo GR;Pearson JC;Collignon PJ;Bell JM;McLaws ML;Christiansen KJ;Turnidge JD, 2013, 'Australian Group on Antimicrobial Resistance Hospital-onset Staphylococcus aureus Surveillance Programme annual report, 2011', Communicable diseases intelligence quarterly report, vol. 37, pp. E210 - E218
Gralton J;Tovey ER;Mclaws ML;Rawlinson WD, 2013, 'Respiratory virus RNA is detectable in airborne and droplet particles', Journal of Medical Virology, vol. 85, pp. 2151 - 2159, http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/jmv.23698
Allegranzi B;Gayet-Ageron A;Damani N;Bengaly L;McLaws ML;Moro ML;Memish Z;Urroz O;Richet H;Storr J;Donaldson L;Pittet D, 2013, 'Global implementation of WHO's multimodal strategy for improvement of hand hygiene: A quasi-experimental study', The Lancet Infectious Diseases, vol. 13, pp. 843 - 851, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S1473-3099(13)70163-4
Coombs GW;Pearson JC;Nimmo GR;Collignon PJ;Bell JM;McLaws ML;Christiansen KJ;Turnidge JD, 2013, 'Antimicrobial susceptibility of Staphylococcus aureus and molecular epidemiology of meticillin-resistant S. aureus isolated from Australian hospital inpatients: Report from the Australian Group on Ant', Journal of Global Antimicrobial Resistance, vol. 1, pp. 149 - 156, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jgar.2013.04.005
Gralton J;Rawlinson WD;McLaws ML, 2013, 'Health care workers' perceptions predicts uptake of personal protective equipment', American Journal of Infection Control, vol. 41, pp. 2 - 7, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ajic.2012.01.019
Fletcher S;Van Hal S;Andresen D;McLaws ML;Stark D;Harkness J;Ellis J, 2013, 'Gastrointestinal pathogen distribution in symptomatic children in Sydney, Australia', Journal of Epidemiology and Global Health, vol. 3, pp. 11 - 21, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jegh.2012.11.004
Fletcher S;McLaws M;Ellis JT, 2013, 'Prevalence of gastrointestinal pathogens in developed and developing countries: systematic review and meta-analysis', Journal of Public Health Research, vol. 2, pp. 42 - 53, http://dx.doi.org/10.4081/jphr.2013.e9
McLaws ML;Maharlouei N;Yousefi F;Askarian M, 2012, 'Predicting hand hygiene among Iranian health care workers using the theory of planned behavior', American Journal of Infection Control, vol. 40, pp. 336 - 339, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ajic.2011.04.004
Playford EG;McDougall D;McLaws ML, 2012, 'Problematic linkage of publicly disclosed hand hygiene compliance and health care-associated Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia rates', Medical Journal of Australia, vol. 197, pp. 29 - 30, http://dx.doi.org/10.5694/mja12.10677
Playford EG;McDougall D;McLaws ML, 2012, 'RE: Problematic linkage of publicly disclosed hand hygiene compliance and health care-associated Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia rates', Medical Journal of Australia, vol. 197, pp. 214, http://dx.doi.org/10.5694/mja12.11077
Worth LJ;McLaws ML, 2012, 'Is it possible to achieve a target of zero central line associated bloodstream infections?', Current Opinion in Infectious Diseases, vol. 25, pp. 650 - 657, http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/QCO.0b013e32835a0d1a
McLaws ML;Burrell AR, 2012, 'Zero risk for central line-associated bloodstream infection: Are we there yet?', Critical Care Medicine, vol. 40, pp. 388 - 393, http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/CCM.0b013e318232e4f3
Playford EG;McDougall D;McLaws M, 2012, 'Problematic linkage of publicly disclosed hand hygiene compliance and health care-associated Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia rates', Medical Journal of Australia, vol. 197, pp. 29 - 30, http://dx.doi.org/10.5694/mja12.10724
