Infection Prevention and Control Programs in Community-Based Home Visiting Nursing in Southeast Queensland, Australia: A Case Study

Abstract

In Australia, healthcare settings are required to obtain and maintain formal accreditation by the Australian Council on Health Care Standards. One area of this accreditation is infection prevention and control. In addition to accreditation, healthcare settings are required to appoint an infection control professional to coordinate the local infection control programs. In addition to these requirements, healthcare settings in Queensland are required by law to implement an infection control management plan and take reasonable precautions to minimise the risk of Healthcare-Associated Infections [HAIs] through the identification of the infection risks and measures to be taken to prevent or minimise these risks. Such efforts must be consistent with relevant national infection control guidelines for healthcare settings. The National Health and Medical Research Council [NHMRC] published the Australian Guidelines for the Prevention and Control of Infection in Healthcare in which they established six key elements of a successful infection prevention and control program. The NHMRC guidelines are considered to be fundamental because they are based on the best available evidence and address the critical aspects of infection prevention and control in healthcare settings. The NHMRC guidelines are hospital-based. Donabedian’s theory was used as a conceptual structure for this study. The structure, processes and outcome strategies of infection prevention and control programs in CBHVN was explored in each organisation. The findings reveal that infection prevention and control programs were informally structured in CBHVN