Infection Prevention and Control

The importance of infection prevention and control (IPC) in clinical practice is well established. We’ll help you gain in depth knowledge of the fundamental principles of IPC and how the immune system works. IPC guidance is constantly changing at a local, national, and international level. You’ll need to understand, interpret, and enforce these IPC guidelines correctly, we’ll support you to critically appraise and synthesise this information to make informed decisions for practice around the use of products and implementation of care strategies.

Explore current IPC issues, such as antibiotic stewardship, facilitated by the module leader. We’ll equip you to manage any IPC issues on a day-to-day basis in both primary and secondary care settings.

This module is essential development for IPC link practitioners or those developing their skills/knowledge towards becoming an IPC specialist nurse/practitioner. In addition, existing IPC nurses/practitioners wishing to expand their knowledge would also find the module beneficial.

Outline content:

• fundamental principles of IPC, e.g., universal precautions, hand hygiene, how the immune system works and what are healthcare acquired infections (Clostridium difficile (C. diff), Surgical Site Infections (SSIs) etc.) and current hot topics at time of delivery
• decontamination and cleaning
• interpretation of virology and microbiology results, e.g., looking at the common viruses/bacteria/fungi that are seen in practice
• outbreak management, e.g., contact tracing, communication skills, policies/procedures relating to managing an outbreak
• root cause analysis (RCAs) in IPC
• the use of audit in IPC.

Assessment