Australian infection control practitioners’ and infectious diseases physicians’ experiences of managing COVID-19

Abstract

Introduction: COVID-19 has placed unprecedented demands on infection control practitioners (ICPs) and infectious diseases (ID) physicians to implement effective infection prevention and disease control strategies. This study examined their knowledge, preparedness, and experiences managing COVID-19 in the Australasian healthcare settings. Methods: A cross-sectional study of ICPs and ID physician members of the Australasian College for Infection Prevention and Control (ACIPC) and the Australasian Society for Infectious Diseases (ASID) was conducted. An online, voluntary, and anonymous survey was distributed across membership. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the data. Open text data were analysed using conventional content analysis methods. Results: A total of 148 survey responses were included in the analysis (103 for ICPs and 45 for ID physicians). The majority of ICPs (78.7%) and ID physicians (77.8%) reported having ‘very good’ or ‘good’ level of knowledge of COVID-19. An overwhelming majority of ICPs (96%) and ID physicians (73.3%) reported feeling ‘moderately prepared’ or ‘extremely prepared’ for managing COVID-19. A large proportion of ICPs (72%) and ID physicians (64.4%) reported receiving specific training/certification in PPE use, with 88% and 75.5% feeling ‘mostly or entirely confident’ in using it, respectively. Most ICPs (84.5%) and ID physicians (76.2%) reported having ‘considerably’ or ‘moderately more’ work added to their daily duties. Their biggest concerns reported included the uncertainties under a rapidly changing landscape, PPE availability and community’s compliance. Conclusion: Harmonised information and adequate education-training are key to successfully managing COVID-19 and other future outbreaks.