American Journal of Infection Control 43 (2015) 900-3
Contents lists available at ScienceDirect
American Journal of Infection Control
American Journal of Infection Control
journal homepage: www.ajicjournal.org
Letters to the Editor
Status of the infection control program in a Nigerian tertiary hospital before and after implementation of an improvement plan To the Editor: Effective and sustainable implementation of infection prevention and control (IPAC) programs is critical in the prevention of health care-associated infections and a reflection of safety and quality in health care delivery.1,2 To highlight relevant IPAC implementation challenges and possible intervention strategies in resource-limited settings, we report the status of an IPAC program in a tertiary hospital in Nigeria before and after the implementation of an IPAC improvement plan. Between February 2013 and October 2014, we conducted a longitudinal observational study in a 200-bed tertiary hospital located in Bayelsa State in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria. The study was undertaken in 3 phases. During the first 3 months, trained members of the research team interviewed relevant unit heads to obtain information about various aspects of the hospital’s infection control program using a validated infection control assessment tool (ICAT).3,4 During the second phase, we formulated and implemented an IPAC improvement plan based on the findings of the IPAC assessment, the observations of relevant stakeholders of the hospital, and the recommendations of the ICAT manual, as well as IPAC policies of the World Health Organization5 and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention6 as necessary. The improvement plan included training of health care workers on various aspects of IPAC, development and updating of IPAC policies according to standard guidelines, initiation of routine surveillance for health care-associated infection, antibiotic use, and susceptibility patterns. Relevant IPAC resources and infrastructure were also provided according to identified gaps and available funding. During the third phase, about 1 year after commencement of the improvement plan (June-August 2014), we repeated the infection control assessment of the hospital using the same instruments and methods as the baseline assessment. Based on the recommendations of the ICAT, compliance with recommended IPAC practices were scored and rated as follows: A ¼ Recommended practices are followed consistently and thoroughly (75% of the possible points), B ¼ Recommended practices are usually followed (50%-74% of possible points), and C ¼ Training and follow-up are needed on recommended practices (
Contents lists available at ScienceDirect
American Journal of Infection Control
American Journal of Infection Control
journal homepage: www.ajicjournal.org
Letters to the Editor
Status of the infection control program in a Nigerian tertiary hospital before and after implementation of an improvement plan To the Editor: Effective and sustainable implementation of infection prevention and control (IPAC) programs is critical in the prevention of health care-associated infections and a reflection of safety and quality in health care delivery.1,2 To highlight relevant IPAC implementation challenges and possible intervention strategies in resource-limited settings, we report the status of an IPAC program in a tertiary hospital in Nigeria before and after the implementation of an IPAC improvement plan. Between February 2013 and October 2014, we conducted a longitudinal observational study in a 200-bed tertiary hospital located in Bayelsa State in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria. The study was undertaken in 3 phases. During the first 3 months, trained members of the research team interviewed relevant unit heads to obtain information about various aspects of the hospital’s infection control program using a validated infection control assessment tool (ICAT).3,4 During the second phase, we formulated and implemented an IPAC improvement plan based on the findings of the IPAC assessment, the observations of relevant stakeholders of the hospital, and the recommendations of the ICAT manual, as well as IPAC policies of the World Health Organization5 and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention6 as necessary. The improvement plan included training of health care workers on various aspects of IPAC, development and updating of IPAC policies according to standard guidelines, initiation of routine surveillance for health care-associated infection, antibiotic use, and susceptibility patterns. Relevant IPAC resources and infrastructure were also provided according to identified gaps and available funding. During the third phase, about 1 year after commencement of the improvement plan (June-August 2014), we repeated the infection control assessment of the hospital using the same instruments and methods as the baseline assessment. Based on the recommendations of the ICAT, compliance with recommended IPAC practices were scored and rated as follows: A ¼ Recommended practices are followed consistently and thoroughly (75% of the possible points), B ¼ Recommended practices are usually followed (50%-74% of possible points), and C ¼ Training and follow-up are needed on recommended practices (
