Study Details Process to Develop a Long-Term Care Infection Prevention and Control Model

The process for developing a one-stop long-term care (LTC) infection prevention and control (IPC) model in which reliable tools could promptly be readily available to nursing home (NH) staff is described in a study published in the American Journal of Infection Control.

“The aim was to create a one-stop resource where NH professionals could easily locate reliable tools in a timely manner and maximize the amount of time spent addressing the direct needs of residents and the ongoing challenges of providing care in an NH,” wrote Mario Rubano, MPH, Center for Healthy Aging, The New York Academy of Medicine in New York, NY, and coauthors.

1. The Infection Prevention Compendium for Long-Term Care Facilities contains 4 sections:
2. Infection Prevention Tools and Resources for Direct Care Providers, Administrators, and Support Staff;
3. International and US Infection Control Resources;
4. Summary of NYAM Reports; and
5. Teaching Tools.

The first section covers specific disciplines and roles within LTC settings, including all departments in a typical LTC facility. It addresses clinical and non-clinical roles, such as direct care and facilities management. Section two includes links to international and US-based agencies like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Infection Control Africa Network, and the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control. International resources are categorized by continent and region, and US-based resources are grouped in 5 categories:

1. Training and Knowledge
2. Quality of Life
3. Organizational Culture
4. External Influences and Regulations
5. General Resources

The third section of the compendium consists of summaries and links to various reports, journal articles, and webinars created during its development. The last section offers PowerPoint slide decks that can be downloaded and customized to suit the requirements of 5 different groups within the LTC environment, which include administrators, families, nurses, residents, and specialized contract providers.

“It was our goal to contribute to the prevention and control of infections and demonstrate a model for developing a one-stop resource in which reliable tools could be readily available to staff in a timely manner,” wrote the study authors. “We hope that the process outlined in this paper can serve as a model for the development of future IPC compendia that address the full spectrum of health care-acquired infections in LTC settings,” they added.

Reference

Rubano M, Kieffer E, Larson E, Colline N, Portillo C. The development of a long-term care infection prevention compendium during the COVID-19 pandemic. Am J Infect Control. 2023;S0196-6553(23)00380-2. doi:10.1016/j.ajic.2023.05.008