Infection
Prevention
and
Control
(IPC) Program
Dr. Omar Zaher
MSc., DIPC, DHM, DTOT, CGM
Program Description
• This program will provide infection prevention and
control (IPC) training for individuals responsible for
healthcare providing or service in nursing homes or
hospitals.
• The program will include information about detailed
explanation of recommended IPC practices to prevent
pathogen transmission and reduce healthcare-associated
infections that made up of 17 modules.
• After this program , healthcare providers can effectively
implement and ensure adherence to recommended IPC
practices.
Program Description
There are 3 main parts in these 17 modules:
Part one: Break the chain of infection (9 modules)
• Standard infection prevention and control precautions.
• Transmission based precautions.
Part two: Healthcare associated infection (5 modules)
• Healthcare associated infection risk factors
• Healthcare associated infection prevention
Part three: Application of IPC practices (3 modules)
• Wound Care
• IPC Measures in OR
• IPC Measures in Neonates
Learning Objectives
• Identify the ways of pathogens spread.
• Identify recommended infection prevention and control
(IPC) practices for the detection, prevention, and control
of pathogen transmission.
• Identify risk factors among patients that contribute to
the development of healthcare-associated infections.
• Identify recommended infection prevention and control
(IPC) practices for prevention healthcare-associated
infections.
Target Audience
• This training was developed for the individual(s)
responsible for healthcare providing or service in nursing
homes or hospitals, that will be helpful for:
➢ Physicians.
➢ Registered nurses.
➢ Licensed practical nurses.
➢ Nursing home practitioners.
➢ Other health educators.
➢ Interested in IPC individuals.
For professional IPC
In addition to this program, you have to learn about:
• Infection Prevention and Control Structure, committee, planning.
• Occupational Health.
• Healthcare-associated Infections (HAIs) Surveillance.
• Role of IPC in different departments; (laundry, housekeeping,
kitchen, laboratory, pharmacy, dialysis, burn, transplantation and
CSSD …….).
• Role of microbiology in IPC.
• Bacterial, viral and fungal Infectious diseases.
• Outbreak investigations.
• Antimicrobial stewardship program.
• Environmental engineering aspects.
• IPC auditing and reporting.
Module (1)
Infection Prevention
and Control
Module (1) Topics
• Definition of infection prevention and control
• Importance of IPC
• Guidelines, National Standards, and
Resources
Definition of infection prevention and control
• Infection prevention and control refers to policies and
procedures used to minimize the risk of spreading
infections, especially in hospitals and human or
animal health care facilities.
• IPC is unique in the field of patient safety and quality
of care, universally relevant to every health worker
and patient, at every health care interaction.
• Effective IPC requires constant action at all levels of
the health system, including policymakers, facility
managers, health workers and those who access
health services.
Importance of IPC
• Many infections can be prevented and controlled through an
active IPC program, the purpose of which is “to provide a safe,
sanitary, and comfortable environment and to prevent the
development and transmission of communicable diseases and
infections.”
• Effective IPC programs, focusing on prevention, will reduce
the risk of pathogen transmission and development of
healthcare-associated infections and improve quality of life of
patients.
• The IPC program establishes a facility-wide system for the
prevention, identification, investigation, reporting, and
control of communicable diseases and infections among
patients, staff, and visitors.
Importance of IPC
• Defective IPC causes harm and can kill. Without
effective IPC it is impossible to achieve quality health
care delivery.
• Infection prevention and control affects all aspects of
health care, including hand hygiene, surgical site
infections, injection safety, antimicrobial resistance
and how hospitals operate during and outside of
emergencies.
Importance of IPC
• Healthcare-acquired infections are one of the most
common complications of health care. They are a
significant “patient safety issue”, and can also be an
“occupational health and safety issue”.
• A well-functioning Infection Prevention and Control
program helps minimize these risks for our patients,
residents, visitors and our staff.
• As well as the “safe environment” is one of the
essential preventing step to grantee the patient and
staff safety.
Patient safety issue
• How to protect our patients?
Infection control is required to prevent the
transmission of communicable diseases in all
healthcare settings.
eg: Healthcare associated infections (HAIs).
(CLABSI, CAUTI, VAP and SSI)
➢Through:
1- Standard infection control precautions .
2- Transmission-based precautions.
Staff Safety issue
• How to protect our healthcare workers?
Increasing their knowledge.
❑Infection prevention and control program has an important
role to educate, aware and train the staff to be updated
with the latest IPC guidelines and policies.
❑Regular IPC training and awareness should be scheduled at
least yearly as a refreshment brainstorming.
❑Staff should be active and participate in IPC conferences
and workshops to upgrade their knowledge.
Staff Safety
Protective steps (vaccination & immunization).
❑Infection prevention and control department
should organize campaigns to immunize and
vaccinate all healthcare workers in the
healthcare facility against the blood borne
diseases and epidemic or seasonal droplet
transmitted diseases.
eg: Hepatitis B vaccine against HB Virus.
Influenza Vaccine against Influenza Virus.
Staff Safety
Post exposure Prophylaxis
eg: needle stick injury management.
First Aid
• Let it bleed, don't suck, don't squeeze.
• Wash under running water.
• Dry, apply dressing.
Reporting
• Report immediately to infection control department.
• They will ask you some questions.
Management
• Infection control department will advise you about proper
action.
Environmental safety issue
Infection prevention and control program should
include:
➢ Environmental dimensions and measures
➢ Waste management
➢ Environmental cleaning
Environmental dimensions and measures
Unit design:
❑ The infrastructure design has had a little
impact on infection.
❑ Any design should consider the following to
enhance IC strategies:
• Space between beds.
• Ventilation.
• Sinks and waterless handrub dispensers.
• Traffic flow.
Waste management
To provide guidelines for how to handle bag, transport and
dispose of Regulated (Biomedical/Infectious) and Regular waste
or trash in order to reduce or prevent the transmission of
diseases.
Include:
Different types of waste:
1-Non-medical waste (non-hazardous waste)
2-Medical waste (hazardous waste)
Packaging of infectious waste
Color coding bin system for waste sorting
Sharp Containers
Storage of waste
Handling sharps Precautions
Environmental cleaning
❑ To provide and maintain a clean and safe environment and to
prevent environmentally associated infections among
patients, health care workers and visitors.
❑ Infection prevention and control program should regulate the
cleaning protocol for:
• The daily cleaning
• Scheduled cleaning
• Terminal (deep cleaning)
Financial issue
✓ It is important to outline the cost-benefit of an infection prevention and
control [Link] Demonstrating value is important for healthcare
facilities that need to make economic decisions regarding support for
infection prevention and control programs.
✓ Targeted surveillance should be tied to specific interventions to decrease
HAIs. Appropriate interventions to decrease infections will then result in
documentation of cost savings.
Identifying Guidelines and Resources
Identifying Guidelines and Resources
Infection prevention and control references and
resources include:
• The APIC Text is the most comprehensive and up-
to-date reference for infection prevention and
control (IPC).
• In Egypt, IPC National guide is a very important
reference as you will find some data that clarify
laws and regulations for a lot of related fields in
IPC.
Identifying Guidelines and Resources
• WHO is a very important reference for IPC when you need
data and information about IPC technical support,
leadership, programs, assessment tools, international
events, Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) and health
emergencies about hygiene, sanitation and water.
• CDC is very important reference for IPC guidelines including
standard infection control precautions (hand hygiene, PPE,
respiratory hygiene and cough etiquette, aseptic
techniques, safe injection, waste management,
environmental cleaning and disinfection, decontamination
of instruments), transmission based precautions including
most of diseases (causes, transmission and prevention) as
well as you need NHSN manual for HAIs surveillance.