Infection Prevention and Control Trainings & COVID

Infection Prevention and Control Trainings & COVID

Title of Report: A Survey of Existing Infection and Prevention Trainings

Evaluating Current IPC and COVID-19 Trainings

As COVID-19 spread across the nation, the U.S. utilized infection prevention and control (IPC) trainings and guidance as a tactic to mitigate transmission of the deadly virus. Our team used an environmental scan to identify 317 of these trainings, analyze common trends, and uncover several ways the current trainings and guidance could be improved. The evaluation of these trainings was crucial, as access to free, publicly available resources during the deadly COVID-19 pandemic had a direct impact on the preparedness and response efforts of public health professionals. Read the full report to dive into more detail on how the team identified these recommendations and the impact they had on the COVID-19 pandemic public health response.

Emerging Topic Trends

The environmental scan analysis revealed several emerging topic trends:

  • Personal protective equipment (PPE)
  • Case investigation (contact tracing, surveillance)
  • High-risk healthcare settings (nursing homes, assisted living)
  • Society and economic reopening procedures and considerations
  • Mass vaccinations and COVID-19 vaccination

Improve the Trainings

The results of the environmental scan led the team to developing several suggestions for improving existing trainings. Learning Management Systems that host these trainings can use this list of recommended improvements to enhance IPC awareness and integration into the general public and healthcare workforce.

  • Increase personnel knowledge and training integration of exposure science, IPC, and environmental health science
  • Review trainings for quality control
  • Increase course functionality
  • Review trainings for counter-relevance
  • Utilize adult learning principles such as knowledge checks and scenario-based courses
  • Remove misinformation and outdated trainings
  • Prioritize trainings that integrate several aspects of countermeasure distribution
  • Bundle trainings or incorporate a Blended Learning Series

The Results

The completion of the environmental scan resulted in a series of improved learning modules to address the identified gaps in the IPC and COVID-19 trainings. Explore these modules, titled: “Integrating Infection Prevention and Control Science into POD-based Planning” on the NNPHI website.