Infection and Drug Resistance (Apr 2023)

Assessment of Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) Implementation and Strategies Used for IPC Preparedness at Facility Level in Underdeveloped Areas of Pakistan

  • Tahir MA,
  • Khan MA,
  • Ikram A,
  • Chaudhry TH,
  • Jabeen A,
  • Quddous A,
  • Haq IU

Journal volume & issue
Vol. Volume 16
pp. 1997 – 2006

Abstract

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Majid Ali Tahir,1,2 Mumtaz Ali Khan,3 Aamer Ikram,3 Tamoor Hamid Chaudhry,4 Aliya Jabeen,3 Abdul Quddous,3 Ijaz Ul Haq2 1Health Education Officer, CDC, National Institutes of Health, Islamabad, Pakistan; 2Department of Public Health & Nutrition, University of Haripur, Haripur, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan; 3Centers for Disease Control (CDC), National Institutes of Health, Islamabad, Pakistan; 4Public Health Laboratories Division, National Institutes of Health, Islamabad, PakistanCorrespondence: Majid Ali Tahir, CDC, National Institutes of Health, Islamabad, Pakistan, Email [email protected]; [email protected]: During outbreaks of infectious diseases like COVID-19, the healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs) pose a burden on public health system. There are very limited data about infection prevention and control (IPC) implementation in the healthcare facilities of Pakistan. The aim of the study was to conduct assessment with the IPC Assessment Framework (IPCAF) tool in healthcare facilities of the least developed areas.Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 12 tertiary level healthcare facilities (HCF) located in the least developed provinces of Pakistan. The facilities were selected through multistage cluster random methods. A well-structured questionnaire, the “IPCAF tool”, was used for data collection. The IPCAF comprises eight sections with a 100 score of each section, thus with a maximum score of 800. The scores from 0 to 800 of the HCFs were divided into four gradual ratings through IPCAF, ie from inadequate to advanced.Results: The median score of all facilities was 405, with a range from inadequate to advanced. One facility (8.3%) fell into the “inadequate” category with a score of 172.5; 5 (41.6%) facilities achieved “basic” category, another 5 (41.6%) being “intermediate”, and only one (8.3%) hospital achieved “advanced” status. Region-wise median score of facilities of GB was 307.5, facilities in AJK scored 342.5, and a score of 520 was found for health facilities in KPK. The components of Education and Training, HCAIs Surveillance, and Multimodal Strategies achieved the lowest scores.Conclusion: Most of the facilities have developed an IPC program with key focal persons and IPC committees, but did not have relevant education and training. IPC core capacities are being implemented. Equitable attention is required on all eight components of IPC in all facilities.Keywords: infection prevention and control, IPCAF, healthcare facilities, healthcare associated infections

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