Contemporary Nursing Practice

Contemporary Nursing Practice

[Name]

[Institution]

Author Note

Contemporary Nursing Practice

Infection Control

In a healthcare facility, everything from the air being circulated on-premises to the people that walk through the doors can serve as potential carriers of contamination. Thus, healthcare facilities and hospitals take extreme measures to ensure that certain steps are taken to control the spread of disease on-premises and even away from the hospital ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"RKlL3nzb","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Godfrey and Schouten, 2014)","plainCitation":"(Godfrey and Schouten, 2014)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":"4psK5cfz/4sE9ztyu","uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/0omESN17/items/YDRD5Y62"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/0omESN17/items/YDRD5Y62"],"itemData":{"id":756,"type":"article-journal","title":"Infection control best practices in clinical research in resource-limited settings","container-title":"Journal of acquired immune deficiency syndromes (1999)","page":"S15","volume":"65","issue":"0 1","author":[{"family":"Godfrey","given":"Catherine"},{"family":"Schouten","given":"Jeffrey T."}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2014"]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Godfrey and Schouten, 2014). It is one of the primary concerns of healthcare facilities since many on-site factors can actually facilitate the spread of infectious diseases. Add in the invasive nature of many modern medical procedures and the increase in the number of surgeries being performed in the last decade, the number of patients being infected on incision sites, or the development of unrelated infections within the premises of a healthcare facility is relatively high ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"ksfdi3vL","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Salem, 2019)","plainCitation":"(Salem, 2019)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":"4psK5cfz/ceT7N5A4","uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/0omESN17/items/DIWXZD7E"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/0omESN17/items/DIWXZD7E"],"itemData":{"id":757,"type":"article-journal","title":"Knowledge and Practices of Nurses in Infection Prevention and Control within a Tertiary Care Hospital","container-title":"Annals of Medical and Health Sciences Research","author":[{"family":"Salem","given":"Olfat A."}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2019"]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Salem, 2019).

According to WHO, Infection prevention and control is a scientific measure that is designed to prevent infection-related harm among patients as well as health workers ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"3NzT9zZf","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(WHO, 2018)","plainCitation":"(WHO, 2018)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":"4psK5cfz/swD01xGW","uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/0omESN17/items/H2KIZ46Q"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/0omESN17/items/H2KIZ46Q"],"itemData":{"id":754,"type":"webpage","title":"WHO | Infection prevention and control","container-title":"WHO","abstract":"Infection prevention and control (IPC)","URL":"http://www.who.int/infection-prevention/about/ipc/en/","author":[{"family":"WHO","given":""}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2018"]]},"accessed":{"date-parts":[["2019",8,8]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (WHO, 2018). These measures are not only put into place prevent the spread of infectious diseases, but they also strengthen the system through the introduction of right policies that have positive and long-term impacts on the healthcare system ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"cFZwHHua","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Salem, 2019)","plainCitation":"(Salem, 2019)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":"4psK5cfz/ceT7N5A4","uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/0omESN17/items/DIWXZD7E"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/0omESN17/items/DIWXZD7E"],"itemData":{"id":757,"type":"article-journal","title":"Knowledge and Practices of Nurses in Infection Prevention and Control within a Tertiary Care Hospital","container-title":"Annals of Medical and Health Sciences Research","author":[{"family":"Salem","given":"Olfat A."}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2019"]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Salem, 2019).

Types and Causes of Infection

Infection takes place when a foreign organism, such as a pathogen, enters a person’s body and causes harm. This foreign organism often uses its host’s body and cellular mechanism as its own to ensure its survival. While most infections are mild and are barely even noticeable, others can generate a severe response in an individual and can be life-threatening. An infection can be transmitted in a number of ways. It includes bodily fluids, skin contact, airborne particles and every object that an infected individual has touched. Furthermore, infections are usually caused by different types of pathogens, with the type of pathogen deciding the cause of infection. Hence, they are further classified into various types. They include ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"isdw345O","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Nordqvist, 2017)","plainCitation":"(Nordqvist, 2017)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":"4psK5cfz/eNa74Nh3","uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/0omESN17/items/JFWSGCGA"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/0omESN17/items/JFWSGCGA"],"itemData":{"id":758,"type":"webpage","title":"Infection: Types, causes, and differences","container-title":"Medical News Today","URL":"https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/196271.php","author":[{"family":"Nordqvist","given":"Christian"}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2017",8,22]]},"accessed":{"date-parts":[["2019",8,8]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Nordqvist, 2017);

Viral Infections

Viral infections are caused by viruses. While most species of identified viruses are not life-threatening, others may also kill their host. There are other viruses, such as the HPV (Human Papillomavirus) that can lead to uncontrolled cell replication and hence result in the formation of cancer cells.

Bacterial Infections

Bacteria is another form of microorganisms which are not necessarily infectious by nature. While most of them are beneficial, there are some that can be deadly as well, such as cholera, pneumonia, and typhoid.

Fungal Infections

Fungal infections are caused by a group of multi-cellular parasites that usually infect upper layers of skin. However, some even go deep within the cell and progress into systemic fungal infections.

Contemporary Measures of Infection Control

It goes without saying that no health-care facility, in the world, even within the most advanced and sophisticated health-care systems, can claim to be free of the problem of healthcare-associated infections. The need for having Infection Control and Prevention (IPC) programmes nationally and at the facility level is clearly reinforced within the WHO 100 Core Health Indicators list ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"fIN63B1r","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(WHO, 2018)","plainCitation":"(WHO, 2018)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":"4psK5cfz/swD01xGW","uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/0omESN17/items/H2KIZ46Q"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/0omESN17/items/H2KIZ46Q"],"itemData":{"id":754,"type":"webpage","title":"WHO | Infection prevention and control","container-title":"WHO","abstract":"Infection prevention and control (IPC)","URL":"http://www.who.int/infection-prevention/about/ipc/en/","author":[{"family":"WHO","given":""}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2018"]]},"accessed":{"date-parts":[["2019",8,8]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (WHO, 2018). The WHO, along with CDC (Center for Disease Control), has worked tirelessly to identify areas which have become a major issue for healthcare services in terms of infection prevention and the ways in which the policies and procedures put into place for infection prevention can be observed ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"3BV0z1ov","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Gandra and Ellison III, 2014; Mehta et al., 2014)","plainCitation":"(Gandra and Ellison III, 2014; Mehta et al., 2014)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":"4psK5cfz/eG5hth1p","uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/0omESN17/items/W3EQ6HGZ"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/0omESN17/items/W3EQ6HGZ"],"itemData":{"id":762,"type":"article-journal","title":"Modern trends in infection control practices in intensive care units","container-title":"Journal of intensive care medicine","page":"311-326","volume":"29","issue":"6","author":[{"family":"Gandra","given":"Sumanth"},{"family":"Ellison III","given":"Richard T."}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2014"]]}}},{"id":"4psK5cfz/MOCXRnDa","uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/0omESN17/items/7B9ECJMQ"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/0omESN17/items/7B9ECJMQ"],"itemData":{"id":760,"type":"article-journal","title":"Guidelines for prevention of hospital acquired infections","container-title":"Indian journal of critical care medicine : peer-reviewed, official publication of Indian Society of Critical Care Medicine","page":"149-163","volume":"18","issue":"3","archive":"PubMed","archive_location":"24701065","abstract":"These guidelines, written for clinicians, contains evidence-based recommendations for the prevention of hospital acquired infections Hospital acquired infections are a major cause of mortality and morbidity and provide challenge to clinicians. Measures of infection control include identifying patients at risk of nosocomial infections, observing hand hygiene, following standard precautions to reduce transmission and strategies to reduce VAP, CR-BSI, CAUTI. Environmental factors and architectural lay out also need to be emphasized upon. Infection prevention in special subsets of patients - burns patients, include identifying sources of organism, identification of organisms, isolation if required, antibiotic prophylaxis to be used selectively, early removal of necrotic tissue, prevention of tetanus, early nutrition and surveillance. Immunodeficient and Transplant recipients are at a higher risk of opportunistic infections. The post tranplant timetable is divided into three time periods for determining risk of infections. Room ventilation, cleaning and decontamination, protective clothing with care regarding food requires special consideration. Monitoring and Surveillance are prioritized depending upon the needs. Designated infection control teams should supervise the process and help in collection and compilation of data. Antibiotic Stewardship Recommendations include constituting a team, close coordination between teams, audit, formulary restriction, de-escalation, optimizing dosing, active use of information technology among other measure. The recommendations in these guidelines are intended to support, and not replace, good clinical judgment. The recommendations are rated by a letter that indicates the strength of the recommendation and a Roman numeral that indicates the quality of evidence supporting the recommendation, so that readers can ascertain how best to apply the recommendations in their practice environments.","DOI":"10.4103/0972-5229.128705","ISSN":"0972-5229","journalAbbreviation":"Indian J Crit Care Med","language":"eng","author":[{"family":"Mehta","given":"Yatin"},{"family":"Gupta","given":"Abhinav"},{"family":"Todi","given":"Subhash"},{"family":"Myatra","given":"Sn"},{"family":"Samaddar","given":"D P"},{"family":"Patil","given":"Vijaya"},{"family":"Bhattacharya","given":"Pradip Kumar"},{"family":"Ramasubban","given":"Suresh"}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2014",3]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Gandra and Ellison III, 2014; Mehta et al., 2014). These include;

Hand Hygiene

The CDC cites hand hygiene as one of the simplest and most effective methods to prevent the spread of infectious diseases. Thus, hand hygiene needs to be incorporated into the culture of the organization. This is exclusively important for the members of a surgical team. They should wash both their arms and their forearms prior to a medical procedure and cover their hands with disposable sterile gloves to decrease the possibility of spread of an infection ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"EbGnIXgb","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Chavali et al., 2014)","plainCitation":"(Chavali et al., 2014)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":486,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/5VyEEXyp/items/RK3LJYTX"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/5VyEEXyp/items/RK3LJYTX"],"itemData":{"id":486,"type":"article-journal","title":"Hand hygiene compliance among healthcare workers in an accredited tertiary care hospital","container-title":"Indian journal of critical care medicine: peer-reviewed, official publication of Indian Society of Critical Care Medicine","page":"689","volume":"18","issue":"10","author":[{"family":"Chavali","given":"Siddharth"},{"family":"Menon","given":"Varun"},{"family":"Shukla","given":"Urvi"}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2014"]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Chavali et al., 2014).

Environmental hygiene

Environmental surfaces, especially in a healthcare facility are one of the most common sources of transmission of infection. Add in the fact that certain microbial bacteria are capable of surviving on surfaces for months, both the patients and the healthcare providers need to vigilant about the surfaces that they touch with their skin. The bacteria living on these surfaces can easily be transmitted and serve as the reason behind bacterial infections ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"rkVDscrl","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Quinn et al., 2015)","plainCitation":"(Quinn et al., 2015)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":487,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/5VyEEXyp/items/JE4C39CG"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/5VyEEXyp/items/JE4C39CG"],"itemData":{"id":487,"type":"article-journal","title":"Cleaning and disinfecting environmental surfaces in health care: toward an integrated framework for infection and occupational illness prevention","container-title":"American journal of infection control","page":"424-434","volume":"43","issue":"5","author":[{"family":"Quinn","given":"Margaret M."},{"family":"Henneberger","given":"Paul K."},{"family":"Braun","given":"Barbara"},{"family":"Delclos","given":"George L."},{"family":"Fagan","given":"Kathleen"},{"family":"Huang","given":"Vanthida"},{"family":"Knaack","given":"Jennifer LS"},{"family":"Kusek","given":"Linda"},{"family":"Lee","given":"Soo-Jeong"},{"family":"Le Moual","given":"Nicole"}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2015"]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Quinn et al., 2015).

Screening patients

At any healthcare facility, the constant and vigilant screen of patients, especially as a part of the preoperative evaluation of health, is crucial. This ensures that the patient has not to be exposed to an infection-causing pathogen which may complicate the procedure. Furthermore, patients that are suffering from the same disease should be kept together in the same area to control the spread of infection ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"xCqE1aco","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Marcoux et al., 2017)","plainCitation":"(Marcoux et al., 2017)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":488,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/5VyEEXyp/items/6F4QDMAA"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/5VyEEXyp/items/6F4QDMAA"],"itemData":{"id":488,"type":"article-journal","title":"Screening tools to identify patients with complex health needs at risk of high use of health care services: A scoping review","container-title":"PloS one","page":"e0188663","volume":"12","issue":"11","author":[{"family":"Marcoux","given":"Valérie"},{"family":"Chouinard","given":"Maud-Christine"},{"family":"Diadiou","given":"Fatoumata"},{"family":"Dufour","given":"Isabelle"},{"family":"Hudon","given":"Catherine"}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2017"]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Marcoux et al., 2017).

Vaccinations

The staff at a healthcare organisation may not only be at the risk of developing an infection themselves, being exposed to patients all day, but they can also be the cause of the spread of infections as well. When they come into contact with a number of patients, all of which suffer from a number of different diseases including infectious diseases, infection control may become necessary. Thus, according to CDC guidelines, organisations should ensure that their health staff is being vaccinated on a regular basis to prevent the spread of infection ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"xFPq9HYP","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Petek and Kamnik-Jug, 2018)","plainCitation":"(Petek and Kamnik-Jug, 2018)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":489,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/5VyEEXyp/items/U2Z5IK5M"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/5VyEEXyp/items/U2Z5IK5M"],"itemData":{"id":489,"type":"article-journal","title":"Motivators and barriers to vaccination of health professionals against seasonal influenza in primary healthcare","container-title":"BMC health services research","page":"853","volume":"18","issue":"1","author":[{"family":"Petek","given":"Davorina"},{"family":"Kamnik-Jug","given":"Kristina"}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2018"]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Petek and Kamnik-Jug, 2018).

Care coordination

Improper communication during the process of surgical planning, preparation, and the post-operative procedure can expose a number of individuals, including both the health staff and the patients to surgical site infections, which can certainly be avoided with due care and vigilance. They should employ the use of stopping the line, especially if they are unsure whether the care providers or healthcare professionals have taken careful measures to prevent infections at a healthcare facility ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"agqmtSux","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Tartari et al., 2017)","plainCitation":"(Tartari et al., 2017)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":490,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/5VyEEXyp/items/943L93RX"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/5VyEEXyp/items/943L93RX"],"itemData":{"id":490,"type":"article-journal","title":"Patient engagement with surgical site infection prevention: an expert panel perspective","container-title":"Antimicrobial Resistance & Infection Control","page":"45","volume":"6","issue":"1","author":[{"family":"Tartari","given":"E."},{"family":"Weterings","given":"V."},{"family":"Gastmeier","given":"PJRB"},{"family":"Baño","given":"J. Rodríguez"},{"family":"Widmer","given":"A."},{"family":"Kluytmans","given":"J."},{"family":"Voss","given":"A."}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2017"]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Tartari et al., 2017).

Work together for infection control

At a healthcare organisation, everyone from the patients to their caretakers to their health workers and staff is accountable for infection prevention, since they all can be exposed to an infection-causing pathogen at any given time. Thus, they should work together and in a collaborative manner to ensure that all prevention protocols are followed in the right manner with the right tools and at the right time ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"YUtC7zVL","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Sutton et al., 2019)","plainCitation":"(Sutton et al., 2019)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":491,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/5VyEEXyp/items/4L7UPCW9"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/5VyEEXyp/items/4L7UPCW9"],"itemData":{"id":491,"type":"article-journal","title":"Making infection prevention and control everyone's business? Hospital staff views on patient involvement","container-title":"Health expectations","author":[{"family":"Sutton","given":"Elizabeth"},{"family":"Brewster","given":"Liz"},{"family":"Tarrant","given":"Carolyn"}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2019"]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Sutton et al., 2019).

Comprehensive Unit-based Safety Programs

The Comprehensive Unit-based Safety Program is a structured strategic framework which is responsible for patient safety improvement in a healthcare facility. It is based on teamwork, communication, the right leadership, and accountability and has proven to be significantly helpful in assisting with invention prevention and control, especially healthcare-associated infections ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"noNXpXOQ","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Hsu and Marsteller, 2016)","plainCitation":"(Hsu and Marsteller, 2016)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":492,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/5VyEEXyp/items/APPDCDTV"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/5VyEEXyp/items/APPDCDTV"],"itemData":{"id":492,"type":"article-journal","title":"Influence of the Comprehensive Unit–based Safety Program in ICUs: evidence from the Keystone ICU project","container-title":"American Journal of Medical Quality","page":"349-357","volume":"31","issue":"4","author":[{"family":"Hsu","given":"Yea-Jen"},{"family":"Marsteller","given":"Jill A."}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2016"]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Hsu and Marsteller, 2016).

Significance of Infection Control

Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) are a major patient safety issue in hospitals. They not only present a hazard to the medical and healthcare staff, but also to the patients, especially the ones in the post-operative phase. While ample research on the concept of infection prevention and control has improved, infections continue to impact the mortality and morbidity, which leads to increased healthcare expenditure ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"Og4yPs8r","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Yokoe et al., 2014)","plainCitation":"(Yokoe et al., 2014)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":"4psK5cfz/RX8up5vb","uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/0omESN17/items/M6K2UXSQ"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/0omESN17/items/M6K2UXSQ"],"itemData":{"id":765,"type":"article-journal","title":"A compendium of strategies to prevent healthcare-associated infections in acute care hospitals: 2014 updates","container-title":"Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology","page":"S21-S31","volume":"35","issue":"S2","author":[{"family":"Yokoe","given":"Deborah S."},{"family":"Anderson","given":"Deverick J."},{"family":"Berenholtz","given":"Sean M."},{"family":"Calfee","given":"David P."},{"family":"Dubberke","given":"Erik R."},{"family":"Eilingson","given":"Katherine D."},{"family":"Gerding","given":"Dale N."},{"family":"Haas","given":"Janet P."},{"family":"Kaye","given":"Keith S."},{"family":"Klompas","given":"Michael"}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2014"]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Yokoe et al., 2014). Australia, unlike most developed countries, the country does not have a national system in place to effectively monitor infection. As a result, hospitals cannot be provided with an estimate of infections that are hospital-acquired. The last study that was prevalent in hospital-acquired infections in Australia took place in 1984, which was more than three decades ago ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"yjA5cESm","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(McLaws et al., 1988)","plainCitation":"(McLaws et al., 1988)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":"4psK5cfz/gzNVB4JE","uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/0omESN17/items/UPATVCVV"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/0omESN17/items/UPATVCVV"],"itemData":{"id":766,"type":"article-journal","title":"The prevalence of nosocomial and community‐acquired infections in Australian hospitals","container-title":"Medical Journal of Australia","page":"582-590","volume":"149","issue":"11-12","author":[{"family":"McLaws","given":"Mary-Louise"},{"family":"Gold","given":"Julian"},{"family":"Irwig","given":"Les M."},{"family":"Berry","given":"Geoffrey"},{"family":"King","given":"Kathleen"}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["1988"]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (McLaws et al., 1988). Ever since then, there has not been a subsequent evidence-based estimate of the prevalence of hospital-acquired infections in Australia. According to an unofficial estimate carried out in 2008, more than 200,000 hospital-acquired infections cases are reported annually. These numbers make it one of the most common complications which affects patients in a hospital Cruickshank et al., 2009).

Given the advancement in the fields of technology, healthcare delivery, infection prevention and the various control initiatives necessary, the study and research on the subject of hospital-acquired infections need to improve as well. It places a major barrier in infection control and prevention and needs to be addressed in an immediate manner, especially in a country like Australia ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"eHdR8Sjo","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Haque et al., 2018)","plainCitation":"(Haque et al., 2018)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":493,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/5VyEEXyp/items/3QNFMEHK"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/5VyEEXyp/items/3QNFMEHK"],"itemData":{"id":493,"type":"article-journal","title":"Health care-associated infections–an overview","container-title":"Infection and drug resistance","page":"2321","volume":"11","author":[{"family":"Haque","given":"Mainul"},{"family":"Sartelli","given":"Massimo"},{"family":"McKimm","given":"Judy"},{"family":"Bakar","given":"Muhamad Abu"}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2018"]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Haque et al., 2018).

Role of Effective Leadership in Infection Control

Leadership is widely considered to be vital for infection prevention and control (IPC). Its purpose is to maintain progress in the reduction of risks of healthcare-associated infections, especially those caused by antimicrobial-resistant organisms, and to achieve continuous quality improvement ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"5bpeWJzP","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(WHO, 2015)","plainCitation":"(WHO, 2015)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":"4psK5cfz/2wz95Kyh","uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/0omESN17/items/7CMA7S8Q"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/0omESN17/items/7CMA7S8Q"],"itemData":{"id":764,"type":"book","title":"World report on ageing and health - WHO","publisher":"World Health Organization","ISBN":"92-4-156504-7","author":[{"family":"WHO","given":""}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2015"]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (WHO, 2015). In order to improve the preventive strategies at hand on a leadership level, link practitioner schemes are the most frequently used approaches to formal IPC leadership at the frontline. This model focuses on the regular workforce, which includes nurses to take care of infection prevention and control. Link Practitioners and relevant healthcare professionals such as nurses are often used by clinicians to improve upon the present as well as specific IPC practices. These individuals are capable of finding solutions to local problems and are more than capable of championing the various ways to enhance IPC on a national level. These tasks can be headed by nurses as champions that lead to IPC initiatives ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"vS6G8XzZ","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Dekker et al., 2019)","plainCitation":"(Dekker et al., 2019)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":494,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/5VyEEXyp/items/HHITNXN6"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/5VyEEXyp/items/HHITNXN6"],"itemData":{"id":494,"type":"article-journal","title":"Infection control link nurses in acute care hospitals: a scoping review","container-title":"Antimicrobial Resistance & Infection Control","page":"20","volume":"8","issue":"1","author":[{"family":"Dekker","given":"Mireille"},{"family":"Jongerden","given":"Irene P."},{"family":"Mansfeld","given":"Rosa","non-dropping-particle":"van"},{"family":"Ket","given":"Johannes CF"},{"family":"Werff","given":"Suzanne D.","non-dropping-particle":"van der"},{"family":"Vandenbroucke-Grauls","given":"Christina MJE"},{"family":"Bruijne","given":"Martine C.","non-dropping-particle":"de"}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2019"]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Dekker et al., 2019). They lead by setting good examples, powers of persuasion, enthusiasm, and ability to innovate. A study demonstrated that champions were most successful in organizations where collaborative working with the IPC team was evident, indicating the importance of support when frontline workers assume IPC leadership roles ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"PdWeiJFM","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(WHO, 2015)","plainCitation":"(WHO, 2015)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":"4psK5cfz/2wz95Kyh","uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/0omESN17/items/7CMA7S8Q"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/0omESN17/items/7CMA7S8Q"],"itemData":{"id":764,"type":"book","title":"World report on ageing and health - WHO","publisher":"World Health Organization","ISBN":"92-4-156504-7","author":[{"family":"WHO","given":""}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2015"]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (WHO, 2015).

Conclusion

As a nursing student, especially given the position nurse practitioners hold in a medical setting, it is rather crucial that nurse practitioners not only work on infection prevention and control on a personal level but also motivate others to follow the protocols given ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"2K2j1Cnd","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Dekker et al., 2019)","plainCitation":"(Dekker et al., 2019)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":494,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/5VyEEXyp/items/HHITNXN6"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/5VyEEXyp/items/HHITNXN6"],"itemData":{"id":494,"type":"article-journal","title":"Infection control link nurses in acute care hospitals: a scoping review","container-title":"Antimicrobial Resistance & Infection Control","page":"20","volume":"8","issue":"1","author":[{"family":"Dekker","given":"Mireille"},{"family":"Jongerden","given":"Irene P."},{"family":"Mansfeld","given":"Rosa","non-dropping-particle":"van"},{"family":"Ket","given":"Johannes CF"},{"family":"Werff","given":"Suzanne D.","non-dropping-particle":"van der"},{"family":"Vandenbroucke-Grauls","given":"Christina MJE"},{"family":"Bruijne","given":"Martine C.","non-dropping-particle":"de"}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2019"]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Dekker et al., 2019). This will not only fulfill a nurse’s ethical and moral duty to look after the well-being of patients and the healthcare staff, but it also saves lives, which is ultimately what the medical profession is all about.

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