InfectFUN: Making Infection Prevention and Control Education FUN (and effective)
Mrs Rose Simpson1
1Christadelphian Aged Care, Kallangur , Australia
One of the key challenges of infection prevention and control (IPC) is changing behaviours. IPC professionals can face a seemingly insurmountable task of changing multiple practices and can feel like a ‘broken record’ when it comes to delivering education and changing behaviours. This quality improvement focuses on using fun and games as a medium to provide impactful and effective education.
The education tool used in this quality improvement is a simple and fun game designed to create awareness of the transfer of microbes during wound dressings. The ages care home in question had poor practices surrounding dressing techniques. Additionally, skin and soft tissue infections accounted for a majority of infections in monthly data.
Using a game as a medium for IPC education led to the immediate improvement in dressing technique in registered staff. Staff reported enjoying the game and felt that it promoted healthy competition and team building. Moreover, staff were more willing to participate in a game than traditional education. Through personal reflection, the IPC lead reported feeling of achievement and satisfaction with the outcome of the intervention. Monitoring impact of the intervention on infection rates is ongoing, with the expected outcome of a reduction in skin and soft tissue infections.
Education is a key responsibility of the IPC profession and using fun as trade tool is effective in changing behaviours. The utilisation of fun promotes IPC principles, healthy work relationships and could prevent burnout, particularly for those new to the IPC profession.
Biography:
Rose Simpson is on of the many new IPC leads in aged care to recently join the profession of infection prevention and control. She is a registered nurse with a background in occupational therapy who is passionate about adult education. She has worked as a carer, allied health professional and registered nurse in aged care. As a rookie infection prevention and control lead she has enjoyed changing practices and improving outcomes for the people who live in the home where she works.