The crux of successful infection prevention and control (IPC) initiatives lies on the competency of its staff. Nevertheless, the challenges are weighing more as various professional backgrounds contribute to IPC, each with their individual degrees of knowledge, certification, and training. As the demands grow in the complex healthcare framework, IPC personnel are under escalating pressure to address these demands. Hence, the need to define and assess their competencies is imminent for delivering high-quality services and maintaining their professional development.
To help portray the current situation, a cross-sectional study was conducted in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region in 2019. It was targeted towards active IPC staff who were members of the Arab Countries Infection Control Network. The research marshaled the demographic, professional characteristics, competency scores of the IPC staff, and the characteristics of work facilities and IPC programs.
What set critics thinking was the mean competency score which swooped to a 61.4%, being reportedly highest in preventing infection transmission (65%) and lowest in sterilization and disinfection (59%). The stakes were high for individuals with CBIC certification and those associated with facilities having IPC plans, IPC committees, regular IPC committee meetings, and IPC plans including healthcare worker communications. Furthermore, the competency scores in specific areas showed a significant association with receiving domain-specific training.
An important deduction from the study painted the illustration of the suboptimal competency level of IPC staff in the MENA region. This urges the necessity to invest more in IPC staff, essentially through regular, updated educational and training opportunities. The dynamic nature of IPC structures and functions is persistently evolving. Also, considering the place of IPC staff recruitment from differing professional backgrounds, the need for a systematic analysis of their competency becomes key to the quality of their service delivery and professional development.
The lack of competency data from the MENA region and the understanding of the variations in healthcare resources exhibit the pressing need for regional competency assessment. The results from the study exhibit a clear demand to upgrade the competency of the IPC staff in the region and provide a rich environment for their professional development, thereby uplifting the entire healthcare infrastructure.
Source: https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-024-19717-x