WHO publishes Guidelines on Core Components of Infection Prevention

Geneva workshop led by Dr Raheelah Ahmad delivers output

The World Health Organisation has published guidelines on Core Components of Infection Prevention and Control Programmes at the National and Acute Health Care Facility Level. These guidelines were launched to coincide with World Antibiotic Awareness Week. 

The NIHR Health Protection Research Unit is delighted to report that contributions from Professor Alison Holmes and colleagues have resulted in these comprehensive guidelines which have been hailed as ‘a turning point in the history of IPC’ by a leading IPC expert.

Strong, effective and evidence-based infection prevention and control (IPC) programmes and practices form a key part of the necessary strategies to prevent current and future infectious threats, including AMR and outbreaks of highly transmissible diseases such as Ebola. Ultimately IPC strengthens health service resilience. This is why WHO has developed new evidence-based Guidelines on Core Components of Infection Prevention and Control Programmes at the National and Acute Health Care Facility Level. These guidelines are intended to support countries and health care facilities as they develop or strengthen their own approaches to IPC including the development of AMR National Action Plans. 

The guidelines are the culmination of a year-long initiative that has brought together scientists, academics, policy makers and patient representatives to systematically consider the evidence and experiences on what makes IPC programs work. 

The guidelines address eight areas (IPC programmes; Evidence Based Guidelines; Education and Training; Surveillance; Multimodal Strategies; Monitoring, Audit and Feedback; Workload, Staffing and Bed Occupancy and the Built Environment, Materials and Equipment) and comprise 11 recommendations and three Good Practice Statements. 

To coincide with the launch of these new guidelines a new IPC infographic and IPC advocacy video has been issued to support dissemination and publicity.

http://www.who.int/gpsc/ipc-components/en/index.html

A paper on the recommendations and evidence background have also been submitted in the open access, peer reviewed journal - Antimicrobial Resistance and Infection Control (ARIC), further emphasising the interconnection between AMR and IPC.