Mrs. Jenna Fagan1
1Western Health, Australia
Biography:
Jenna is a Clinical Nurse Consultant with Western health with over a decade of experience across clinical and community healthcare settings. Jenna has taken on a variety of roles at Western Health and joined the Infection Prevention Team in 2021.
Abstract:
Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) audits in hospitals have traditionally used paper-based methods, often resulting in inefficiencies, transcription errors, and delays in data sharing. These issues can hinder timely corrective action and weaken compliance monitoring.
To address this, the Infection Prevention Department at a implemented a Quick Response (QR) code technology to digitalise routine IPC audits. Clinical staff received small, laminated reference cards attached to their staff identification, each displaying QR codes linked to commonly used audit tools. This enabled instant access via mobile devices, allowing real-time data entry and immediate feedback at the point of care.
The initiative delivered measurable improvements: higher audit completion rates, better compliance with bare below the elbows, aseptic technique and device management. Staff engagement and satisfaction increased. Data collation and analysis also became faster and more accurate, streamlining reporting and enabling more timely interventions.
By replacing paper forms with mobile-accessible tools, QR codes offered a simple, cost-effective solution that enhanced audit quality and operational efficiency. The initiative also supported environmental sustainability and adopted a stronger culture of safety and accountability across the organisation through this practice change. The live snapshot of local practices in the occurrence of blood stream infections or resistant microorganism transmission made action plans better.
This innovation advanced the best care delivery, promoted practice change and facilitated timely corrective actions while reinforcing safe clinical practices.