Skip to main content

Table 3 Actions to facilitate implementation in infection prevention and control and antimicrobial stewardship

From: Implementation research for the prevention of antimicrobial resistance and healthcare-associated infections; 2017 Geneva infection prevention and control (IPC)-think tank (part 1)

Level

Action

International level

- Make IPC a global priority – take the lead

- Support global IPC initiatives

- Provide minimal standards in patient safety

- Provide guidance (key/core components)

National level

- Make IPC a national priority – have a national strategy

- Provide career paths for IPC professionals

- Promote IPC and AMS, as well as their implementation, being part of education and training for all healthcare professionals

- Provide national guidelines and policies, aligned with international standards

- Organise surveillance of process and outcome indicators, benchmark with other countries

- Make resources available (education and training, materials, staffing)

Health care facility level

- Make IPC an institutional priority – have a local strategy

- Provide resources

- Allow postgraduate training in IPC and AMS as well as their implementation

IPC community

- Integrate implementation science, management, and leadership in the curriculum of IPC training

- Make implementation science an ongoing topic on the agenda of any IPC workshop

Research

- Add an implementation narrative to any publication on best practice interventions

- Encourage collaboration between IPC researchers and social scientists to improve study design and reporting

- Provide funding of mixed-methods research on behaviour change interventions

  1. AMS, Antimicrobial stewardship; IPC, Infection prevention and control