KUTRRH hospital has a set of standard infection control procedures to stop infection spread in the hospital. It is part of every healthcare workers’ duty of care to ensure that no harm is done to patients, visitors or staff. All healthcare workers require at least a basic understanding of IPC principles and practice.
Infection Prevention And Control Programme
KUTRRH IPC programmes include activities, procedures and policies designed to reduce the spread of infections, usually within the hospital. The primary goal of the IPC programme is:
- To prevent susceptible patients from acquiring pathogenic (disease-causing) micro-organisms
- To limit the spread of antimicrobial-resistant infections.
Importance of Infection Control
Healthcare facilities are places where sick people congregate, creating many opportunities for micro-organisms to spread between patients, visitors and healthcare workers.
Infection Prevention and Control are paramount as it protects both patient and healthcare worker from disease. Without controlling the spread of infection, hospitals would become unsafe to go to or visit which would create huge healthcare problems across society.
Following proper IPC guidelines puts the hospital in a position to reduce the likelihood of the most common health care complications: HAIs (Healthcare-acquired infections). The IPC program helps to reduce the risks not only for the patients, but staff too.
Research has proven that IPC programmes can make healthcare safer and more affordable by preventing the suffering, loss of life and cost caused by healthcare-associated infection
The main activities performed by the IPC practitioner include:
- Organising surveillance for healthcare-associated infections
- Providing advice and leadership in outbreak investigation
- Developing and delivering training on IPC to healthcare workers
- Developing and implementing IPC-related policies and procedures
- Auditing the quality and effectiveness of healthcare facility environmental cleaning
- Auditing the quality and effectiveness of disinfection and sterilisation practices
- Implementing local, national or international best-practice guidelines for the prevention of infection transmission in clinical care.
The IPC practitioner has other duties such as seeing to occupational health or quality management since the aim is to prevent harm to patients and staff, IPC programmes often form part of a healthcare facility’s quality management programme.
The IPC Committee
KUTRRH hospital also has an IPC committee which is a multi-disciplinary group of healthcare staff who advise and assist with:
- Management of the IPC programme
- Policy development
- Procurement issues
- Patient safety
- Risk identification
- IPC training and education
- Antimicrobial and disinfectant use
- Surveillance of healthcare-associated infections.
IPC committee meetings are usually held monthly, with circulation of reports and meeting minutes to the management.
All healthcare workers in the hospital have the basic understanding of IPC principles. The IPC training sessions have been tailored to the specific target audience, e.g. clinical staff and non-clinical staff.