Infection Prevention

This presentation was part of the ECSA Regional Health Ministers’ Conference. It describes why infection prevention and control is important and what can be done about it.


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The RCN commissioned a survey of 6,000 members in 2000 to explore nurses’ wellbeing and working lives. The results subsequently helped shape RCN policy and materials for members on topics such as bullying and harassment, violence, needlestick injury and employee-friendly working practices. Five years later, the RCN has commissioned a second survey looking at a similar range of issues. This report documents the findings of that survey, and describes differences between the 2000 and 2005 survey findings. [introduction]

This article reflects on the state of the art in providing a safe working environment for HCWs and to consider a future path towards equitable access to its basic elements. [author’s description]

This presentation presents some of the issues concerning the effect of HIV/AIDS on the nursing and midwifery professions in the Commonwealth countries of east, central and southern Africa.


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The goal of this policy is to help management and staff minimize the risk of TB transmission in health care facilities and other facilities where the risk of transmission of TB may be high due to high prevalence of both diagnosed and undiagnosed TB such as prisons.

The safety of heath care workers (HCWs) who take care of people with HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases is of paramount importance. Occupational transmission of blood borne infections is not regarded as a common problem in developed country settings, but this is not the case in resource poor countries where the incidence and impact of such exposures is under-reported and is now becoming appreciated as an important risk factor for HCWs. It is generally assumed that protection from occupational exposures requires expensive equipment which is not reasonable for resource poor healthcare services.

These guidelines target all health workers at the different levels of the health care delivery system and apply to both the formal and informal workplaces within the health sector. This document covers the basic principles that are required to ensure workplace safety and health including hazard identification, risk management, prevention and management of exposures and incidents. [from foreword]

This articles discusses the risk that medical professionals face in caring for patients with HIV/AIDS. Although the rate of patient-to-doctor transmission is low, medical professionals can still take precautions to prevent infection. The authors make recommendations for proper precautions that should be taken by medical professionals.

The objective of this code is to provide a set of guidelines to address the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the world of work and within the framework of the promotion of decent work. The guidelines cover the following key areas of action: prevention of HIV/AIDS; management and mitigation of the impact of HIV/AIDS on the world of work; care and support of workers infected and affected by HIV/AIDS; elimination of stigma and discrimination on the basis of real or perceived HIV status. [from preface]

Zambian nurses have been greatly affected by the rise in the morbidity and mortality of nurses with TB. This article explains the impact of TB on the Zambian nursing workforce. Review of Zambian government programmes designed to address this health crisis and targeted interventions to reduce TB among nurses are offered. [abstract]

A key purpose of the manual is to enable hospital administrators, clinic managers and healthcare professionals working in limited resource settings to develop their own uniform infection prevention policies and service delivery guidelines. It is recognized, however, that the strategies, priorities and proven methods of infection risk reduction described in this manual will need to be adapted to reflect the existing conditions in each country. Only through this process can much needed changes be implemented and patient care in hospitals and clinics improved. [from preface]

The ILO and the WHO decided to join forces in order to assist health services in building their capacities to provide their workers with a safe, healthy and decent working environment, as the most effective way both to reduce transmission of HIV and other blood-borne pathogens and to improve the delivery of care to patients. This is essential when health service workers have not only to deliver normal health-care services but also to provide HIV/AIDS services and manage the long-term administration and monitoring of anti-retroviral treatments (ART) at a time when, in many countries, they are themselves decimated by the epidemic.

This survey is the first attempt to examine the preparedness of the health
system to implement guidelines for HIV testing in clinical settings, and to provide comprehensive AIDS management. This includes availing HIV testing in clinical settings to both adult and pediatric patients, and providing treatment for HIV disease. The survey also examines the working environment in health care facilities, with an emphasis on HIV infection control and access to post-exposure prophylaxis for health workers themselves. [from foreword]

Hospitals are workplaces in which HIV has double significance. Needlestick accidents link patients, healthcare workers and cleaning staff through the risk of occupational exposure to HIV. Additionally, concern over needlestick injuries may embody HIV stigma, discrimination and fear. This paper draws on qualitative research from a one-year case study at a large, private South African healthcare company that runs a number of hospitals across the country. Issues surrounding needlestick injuries were discussed with hospital managers, union members, infection-control nurses, health and safety representatives, HIV/AIDS counsellors, and general nursing staff. [from abstract]

The Malawi Ministry of Health and Population (MOHP) sought the assistance of JHPIEGO to implement a performance and quality improvement (PQI) initiative in infection prevention (IP), as one intervention in response to concerns of healthcare workers and potential healthcare workers regarding the existing risks of exposure to infection with major communicable diseases, especially HIV/AIDS, at the country’s hospitals and other health facilities. The initiative aimed to improve infection prevention practices in seven participating (pilot) facilities, in order to decrease the risk of infection transmission to clients, providers, and the community. [publisher’s description]

AIDS-related stigma and discrimination is a pervasive problem worldwide. People living with HIV/AIDS (PLHA) in India, as elsewhere, face stigma and discrimination in a variety of contexts, including the household, community, workplace, and health care setting. Research in India has shown that stigma and discrimination against HIV-positive people and those perceived to be infected are common in hospitals and act as barriers to seeking and receiving critical treatment and care services (UNAIDS 2001). Recognizing the need to move beyond documentation of the problem, three New Delhi hospitals; SHARAN, an Indian NGO; and the Horizons Program, with support from the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO), carried out an operations research project to develop and test responses to hospital-based stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS.

These revised and expanded guidelines aim to help [national nursing associations], nursing and midwifery personnel, nurse managers, employers and others to address the educational needs and ethical responsibilities of nursing and midwifery personnel in reducing transmission of HIV/AIDS, HBV, HCV and tuberculosis; develop strategies for a safer work environment and increased protection for nursing and midwifery personnel; and address the socioeconomic welfare issues related to the health care needs, compensation and financial security of HIV-positive nursing and midwifery personnel. [adapted fr

This issue presents studies that focused on care and treatment of HIV/AIDS in India, Kenya and South Africa. “Reducing Stigma and Discrimination” dicusses an Indian study on improved attitudes and practices among hospital workers. The “Studies in Brief” section has information on supporting health workers such as HIV-related challenges at work and home for Kenyan health workers.

The response to AIDS depends largely on people who are themselves getting sick and dying. This is why there is now a need for more targeted interventions to support these health workers, enable them to deliver good care and keep them in their positions. [author’s description]

This training curriculum is a guide to assist trainers in improving health care by training health professionals in: interpersonal communication in information, education, and counseling; referral and follow up processes; and infection prevention and control practices. Materials in this document are designed for training service providers who work at a variety of health facilities in Iraq. The curriculum can be used to train health professionals including physicians, nurses, midwives and other health workers in group training or, with adaptation, as a basis for individualized or self-directed learning. [author’s description]

The risk of transmission of Mycobacterium tuberculosis from patients to health-care workers is a neglected problem in many low- and middle-income countries. Most health-care facilities in these countries lack resources to prevent nosocomial transmission of tuberculosis. [author’s description]

This article reports on a comprehensive review of literature with special emphasis on TB infection-control issues in the oral healthcare setting. The aim is to present the essential elements of an infection control/exposure control plan for the oral healthcare setting with emphasis on tuberculosis. [adapted from author]