COVER STORY
opportunities for nurses and hospital housekeepers to work shadow and even fewer opportunities for them to go on courses. In order to ensure patient safety, Medipal recognised the need for accessible training available to all levels of hospital staff, not just here in the UK but across the world. The importance of education is something that cannot be underestimated. Medipal is providing Infection Prevention and Control: Key Principles written by Neil Wigglesworth, deputy director of infection prevention and control at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, and president of the Infection Prevention Society. The unit focuses on the fundamentals of IPC practice and all settings where patient care is delivered. The learning unit is based on UK and international guidance on IPC best practice and key evidence on this crucial subject.
The aim of the course is to increase the knowledge and understanding of infection prevention and control within healthcare settings. The unit provides the evidence to back up the learning, which in turn increases the understanding. Users start with a baseline assessment to understand their current knowledge. This is then followed by an evidence-based review which contains live links to key evidence and national guidance on IPC. The unit covers major types of HCAIs, modes of transmission, antimicrobial resistance, standard IPC precautions and cleaning and decontamination - all key areas of infection control that are important worldwide. In order to help take the learning and apply it to a work situation, four case scenarios have been put together which ask multiple choice questions. These questions will provide feedback along the way and link the user back to the areas where they will find the correct answer and the evidence to support it.
The unit is completed by a final test which repeats the baseline study questions in order to measure the success of the learning unit. Users gaining over 80% can then download a personalised certificate which shows two hours’ CPD. The unit can also be used as the basis for one of the five reflective accounts required for revalidation. The unit is not just there as a test to complete. The intention has been to create a valuable online resource which can be returned to. The unit contains a series of illustrated factsheets on the practical aspects of IPC and these can be downloaded or printed out for reference or use as teaching material.
Accessible education
In 1948, education was classroom based. Medipal has recognised that in 2018, there is not the time, space, budget or requirement for all nursing education to be classroom based. Education needs to be accessible, flexible and engaging.
The new educational unit is accessible online on computers, tablets and
SEPTEMBER 2018
Medipal has recognised that in 2018, there is not the time, space, budget or requirement for all nursing education to be classroom based. Education needs to be accessible, flexible and engaging.
smartphones. It does not have to be completed in one sitting, and it will automatically save users’ progress to start again where they left off. The interactive design of the unit, with click throughs to extra information, and images to illustrate explanations in the text, makes the unit clear and understandable.
It has been designed to accommodate users with knowledge at both ends of the spectrum. Infection prevention and control is not just the responsibility of an infection control team. Developed for anyone who works within healthcare, Medipal is encouraging users to complete this unit to maintain a thorough grounding in infection prevention and control. To access the educational unit, go to
www.palinternational.com/news
References 1 Justham D (2014) A Study of Nursing Practices Used in the Management of Infection in Hospitals 1929-1948. University of Manchester
2 Unahalekhana A (2016) Epidemology of Healthcare- Associated Infections. In: Basic Principles of Infection Control. International Federation of Infection Control.
3 Iwami M, Ahmad R, Castro-Sánchez E, et al. (2017)
WWW.CLINICALSERVICESJOURNAL.COM I 7
Capacity of English NHS hospitals to monitor quality in infection prevention and control using a new European framework: a multilevel qualitative analysis. BMJ Open 2017;7: e012520. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2016- 012520
4 Mantle S (2015) Reducing HCAI: What the Commissioner Needs to Know. NHS England
5 Horan TC, Gaynes RP (2004) Surveillance of nosocomial infections. In: Mayhall CG, editor. Hospital epidemiology and infection control. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins; 2004. pp. 1659–702.
Pal International Ltd. Bilton Way, Lutterworth Leicestershire LE17 4JA
United Kingdom
uksales@palinternational.com https://www.palinternational.com/ Tel: +44 (0) 1455 555 700
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