561403 editorial2015

BJI0010.1177/1757177414561403Journal of Infection PreventionWilson

Journal of

Infection Prevention

Editorial

Informing the practice of infection prevention and control

Journal of Infection Prevention 2015, Vol. 16(1) 4­–5 DOI: 10.1177/1757177414561403 © The Author(s) 2015 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav jip.sagepub.com

Jennie Wilson

In 1546 Girolano Fracastoro, a physician at the University of Padua in Verona, Italy described the concept of microorganisms and disease transmission in his paper – ‘On contagion and contagious disease’. His theory was that epidemic diseases were carried by minute bodies that were transferred by the infected to others in three different ways: by direct contact; by any article that carried the minute bodies, such as clothing or bed linen; and through the air. Almost 500 years since Fracastoro outlined these ‘nuts and bolts’ of the epidemiology of infection, his ideas have been substantiated and extended by countless other inspirational scientists, for example, Robert Koch, Louis Pasteur, Antoine Leeuwenhoek, Ignaz Semmelweis, Edward Jenner and John Snow, to name but a few. In observing the appalling death toll in West Africa due to Ebola, and corresponding hysteria about its spread in some Western countries, it is sobering to reflect on how difficult it is to instil sound scientific principles into human behaviour. As infection prevention control (IPC) practitioners, we know by heart the story of Semmelweis and his scientific demonstration of the efficacy of hand hygiene in preventing child-bed fever, and the difficulty he experienced in getting others in the medical community to accept and adopt his ideas. In these modern times we do not face quite the same challenges as Semmelweis in disseminating information gathered through scientific endeavour. More than a million academic papers are published annually, information is readily accessible through the World Wide Web and discourse and debate is supported through a vast number of different forums (Björk et al, 2008). That said, applying evidence to the practice of infection prevention and control is not always an easy task and presenting people with evidence does not necessarily translate to a change in practice or behaviour. Despite these difficulties, if we are to justify the title of specialists in IPC we must seek and use the scientific evidence that underpins our advice, policies and education and we also have a responsibility to add to the evidence ourselves through our own publications (Burnett, 2011). As the work of Fracastoro and those other giants of academic discovery has illustrated, research aims to use objective methods to uncover an existing reality. However, it is not only about quantitative data. We now increasingly

acknowledge the vital importance of qualitative data in providing context and depth to our knowledge. In the work of the IPC practitioners, understanding human behaviour can be critical to changing infection prevention practice and much more work needs to be done in applying the science of human factors ergonomics to design systems and tools that support practitioners to do the right thing (Russ et al, 2013). As one of a small number of peer-reviewed, academic journals focused on presenting evidence to underpin both the art and science of IPC, the Journal of Infection Prevention (JIP) is both able to provide an evidencebase and a vehicle by which practitioners can disseminate new knowledge about protecting patients from infection and delivering an effective IPC service. JIP was established by the Infection Prevention Society more than a decade ago (initially as the British Journal of Infection Control), and seeks to support one of the society’s key missions ‘to influence and promote the evidence base for infection prevention practice’. Submissions of high-quality, original articles to JIP have steadily increased in the last few years and the journal can be justly proud of its record in publishing academic papers of practical relevance to the day-to-day work of practitioners in IPC both in the UK and internationally. This new edition of JIP signals a new era for the journal. It is not just about ‘re-branding’ an academic journal, but recognising the key role that JIP plays in informing infection prevention and control practice. In the future, the journal will be cited on Pubmed Central with articles becoming freely available 12 months following publication. It now has an expert International Editorial Advisory Board that will be able to contribute to its future development and ensure that our content addresses key priorities in infection prevention.

Editor, Journal of Infection Prevention Corresponding author: Jennie Wilson, Reader, Healthcare Epidemiology, Richard Wells Research Centre, University of West London, Paragon House, Boston, Manor Road, Brentford, TW8 9GB. Email: [email protected]

5

Wilson Although the last decade has seen major success in reducing important healthcare associated infections (HCAI) such as meticillin resistant Staphyococcus aureus and Clostridium difficile, these reflect only a small component of the total burden of HCAI. History tells us that micro-organisms recurrently adapt to new antimicrobial agents and environments they are exposed to. In the foreword to the epic3 evidencebased guidelines for preventing healthcare-associated infections (Loveday et al, 2014), the Chief Medical Officer emphasised that excellence in infection prevention and control is a crucial part of the strategy to reduce the need to use antibiotics. Preventing the transmission of the multidrug resistant pathogens that now present such an important threat to the effective delivery of health care is of paramount importance. Never has the need for our high quality, practicefocused, academic journal for infection prevention specialists been so great.

Disclaimer The opinions expressed in editorials are the author’s own and not those of their employers, the journal, or any other organisation.

References Björk BC, Roosr A and Lauri M (2008) Global annual volume of peer reviewed scholarly articles and the share available via different open access options. In Proceedings of the ELPUB2008 Conference on Electronic Publishing, Toronto, Canada, pp. 1–10. Retrieved from http://elpub.scix.net. Burnett E (2011) Outcome competences for practitioners in infection prevention and control. Journal of Infection Prevention 12: 67–90 Loveday HP, Wilson JA, Pratt RJ, Golsorskhi M, Tingle A, Bak A, Browne J, Prieto J and Wilcox M (2014) epic3: National evidence-based guidelines for preventing healthcare associated infections in NHS hospitals in England. Journal of Hospital Infection 86(S1): S1–S70. Russ AL, Fairbanks RJ, Karsh B-J, Militello LG, Saleem JJ and Wears RL (2013) The science of human factors: separating fact from fiction. BMJ Quality & Safety Healthcare 00: 1–7. Published online first 16 April 2013.

Seeking new member for Editorial Management Group We are looking for a new member to join the Editorial Management Group of the Journal of Infection Prevention. This is an exciting opportunity for both individual professional development and to c­ ontribute to the work of the Infection Prevention Society. To be eligible for this position you would need to be a member of IPS and have experience of reviewing and/or writing for publication. Your role would be to support the processing of articles submitted to JIP and assist the EMG in delivering its strategy to publish high quality, original articles on the art and science of IPC. To find out more about this exciting opportunity or how to apply please contact the Editor at [email protected]

Informing the practice of infection prevention and control.

Informing the practice of infection prevention and control. - PDF Download Free
376KB Sizes 0 Downloads 7 Views