Infection control liaison nurses (ICLNs) play a crucial role in hospital infection prevention due to their bridging position between the infection control department and clinical units. Hence, their professional skills and training greatly influence the success of infection control measures within hospitals. However, currently, there’s a pronounced variation in job competency levels and professional knowledge application amongst ICLNs. This necessitates a diversified training model approach to cater to their variating training needs.
There are numerous challenges experienced in the development and execution of training programs, such as the uniformity of training models, the lack of standardization for outcome evaluation, and fragmented systems. One notable deficit in current training structures is a significant lack of integration between theory and practice and the absence of continuous, relevant education. This has facilitated the demand for a more systematic, scientific, and effective training approach that ensures the enhancement of the overall quality and professional standards of ICLNs.
The World Health Organization (WHO) asserts the importance of specialized training for roles such as ICLNs for effective infection prevention and control. With the increasing complexities in the medical sector and the continuous emergence of novel infectious diseases, the professional requirements for ICLNs are also rising. Therefore, this necessitates high-end professional skills for ICLNs to address the evolving infection-control challenges.
Among the strategies poised to strengthen the ICLNs training model is the inclusion of women, who constitute 83.57% of infection control personnel. Furthermore, it is important to ensure that ICLNs training covers areas such as infection surveillance and risk assessment, microbiological monitoring, and the standardized use of antibiotics. Additionally, emerging training areas related to the advancement of medical technology, such as multidrug-resistant organism control, respiratory infectious disease protection, and hand hygiene standards, should be taken into account.
Training modalities will benefit from a hybrid format approach, which includes both online and face-to-face methods delivered periodically, preferably monthly or quarterly. The effectiveness of such a program would be enhanced by experienced instructors capable of offering clear, structured content with a high level of classroom interaction.
In optimizing the training model for ICLNs, the International examples offer noteworthy insights. Notably, the application of the ADDIE model (Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation) has proven beneficial in Shanghai’s medical institutions, emphasizing the need for structured, systematic program development. Hence, emulating such strategies and integrating them into the local context is expected to foster the overall competence of the ICLNs.
Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmed.2025.1703523