Evaluation of External Support to Improve Infection Control Practices in a Long Term Care Facility

Abstract

According to the Medical Care Act revised in 2007, securing of infection control system is demanded in all health care facilities. However, it is difficult for the facilities without infection control practitioners (ICPs) to establish the infection control system and improve their practi ces. We designed the support program for small and medium sized health care facilities without ICPs in order to improve their infection control practices.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate how effective the support program for a long term care facility without ICPs was. The support program was applied to the facility from May 2010 to April 2011. During the support period, the researchers participated in the monthly meeting of their infection control working group as facilitators and supervisors, and helped their decision-making process. In the beginning of the support period, the group members decided to improve their excretion care adhering to standard precautions. Several issues regarding excretion care were well discussed in their meetings, such as effective utilization of personal protective equipments (PPEs), the way to handle used diapers, and the way of disinfection of equipment, and so on. The group members revised the part of the excretion care in their nursing manual, and had the seminars for care staff about standard precautions and the new nursing manual of excretion care. We found out that the external support was effective for the long term care facility by evaluating the change in their infection control practices and the result of inventory survey for the care staff.