In the face of staffing shortages and a rise in potential contagion risks, the Texas Epidemic Public Health Institute (TEPHI) has devised a solution: the TEPHI 200-Series. This program offers accessible and impactful training designed to equip healthcare professionals with the tools needed to bolster national infection prevention efforts.
Infection prevention and control (IPC), a fundamental aspect of delivering safe, high-caliber health care, presents significant educational and training gaps among healthcare workers. As challenges regarding patient safety surge and infection preventionists grapple with burnout and workforce attrition, the need for efficacious, accessible training programs becomes paramount.
Enter TEPHI. They have crafted the IPC 200-Series, a free-to-access learning platform flexible enough to cater to healthcare workers everywhere; whether they are based in rural clinics, community hospitals, or urban academic centers. Directed by Dr. Kayla E. Ruch, an expert in the field, the 200-Series expands upon the success of its predecessor, the 100-Series, continuing to extend its reach and impact.
Incorporating live modules as well as recorded sessions available on YouTube, the program provides fundamental instruction on core IPC principles, pairing this educational content with real-world case studies and scenario-based learning exercises.
In an interview with Infection Control Today® (ICT®), Ruch elaborated on TEPHI’s groundbreaking program and her poster presentation at the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) Spring Conference. The inspirational motivation for her presentation was her passion for IPC, having spent seven years in the field and recently earning a PhD in Epidemiology. Ruch has observed first-hand the educational gaps in IPC training. Her dissertation emphasized these issues, underscoring the pressing need for structured, accessible training for healthcare professionals.
Ruch highlighted that the necessity for ongoing IPC education transcends various disciplines, encompassing physicians, nurses, infection preventionists, and pharmacists. The TEPHI IPC series has garnered overwhelmingly positive feedback from its participants, boasting over a thousand attendees and several thousand views on YouTube. The series’ high pass rates reinforce its educational effectiveness, and nearly all respondents have plans to implement the knowledge gained.
One surprising insight that emerged in the course of planning Ruch’s presentation was the high demand for real-world case studies and scenario-based training, with participants concurring that practical applications provide greater integration of IPC principles in their work contexts. Among those who completed the post-module evaluation, there was nearly unanimous interest in attending future sessions.
Addressing the challenges that infection prevention personnel face today, Ruch states that one of the most pressing issues is the shortage of time dedicated to training. This problem is exacerbated by a growing dearth of qualified infection preventionists (IPs). Other significant challenges noted were staffing shortages, professional burnout, inadequate institutional support, which hinder the retention of certified IPs, and the need for stakeholder buy-in. If these challenges remain unaddressed, it could critically impact health care-associated infection (HAI) prevention.
However, Ruch sees the TEPHI IPC series as a direct response to these obstacles, demonstrating that accessible, flexible IPC education is vital. She calls for institutes to invest in well-structured training and retention strategies and for the incorporation of IPC education into academic curriculums to build a strong foundation of future IPs.
Ruch hopes to see the growth of IPC education initiatives not only in organizations but also at the university level. These efforts, she affirms, are crucial in building a healthcare workforce with robust IPC education, understanding, and training—resulting in a safer healthcare environment with reduced HAIs.