Infection Prevention And Control Program In The Long-term Care Setting To Improve Infection Prevention And Control

Abstract

Infection prevention and control (IPC) is important in all healthcare settings to prevent the spread of diseases and reduce the number of healthcare acquired infections (HAIs). In the long-term care setting, the elderly is at an increased risk of contracting HAIs due to many having multiple chronic diseases that predispose them to infections, as well as living in close quarters with other elderly individuals who are at an increased risk. For these reasons, proper IPC practices are essential in the long-term care setting. The purpose of this evidence-based quality improvement project was to implement an infection prevention and control (IPC) program at Hawaii Kai Assisted Living (HKAL) facility to improve the nursing staff’s knowledge and practices regarding IPC. The IPC training spanned two weeks, consisting of four training sessions. Evaluation methods used included a pre/post-test and a portion of an IPC program evaluation (IPCPE) tool. It was found that there was a 12.2% increase in IPC test scores post-training compared to pre-training. According to the IPCPE tool, the nursing staff also exhibited partial compliance to interventions to improve IPC. In conclusion, the results of this IPC project were positive, with the nursing staff improving their knowledge while also meeting partial compliance in IPC practices. Further training is needed to reach full compliance, as well as expansion of the IPC program. The results of the evaluation will be shared with the DON and administrators of the facility to provide data to further improve IPC practices amongst the nursing staff at HKAL.