Dr Nantanit Van Gulik1,2, Ms Wendy Calder3, Adjunct Professor Philippa Blencowe3, Ms Alexandra Mikus-Cunningham3, Ms Roslyn Carmichael3, Dr Stephane Bouchoucha1,4,5, Dr Tejashree Kangutkar6, Professor Julie Considine1,2
1School of Nursing and Midwifery and Centre for Quality and Patient Safety Research in the Institute for Health Transformation, Deakin University, Geelong, Australia, 2Centre for Quality and Patient Safety Research – Eastern Health Partnership, Eastern Health, Box Hill, Australia, 3Eastern Health, Box Hill, Australia, 4Centre for Innovation in Infectious Disease and Immunology Research (CIIDIR), Deakin University, Geelong, Australia, 5Manipal College of Nursing (MCON), Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), Manipal, India, 6eviDent Foundation, Australian Dental Association, South Yarra, Australia
Biography:
Nantanit (Rainie) is a Research Fellow, School of Nursing and Midwifery at Deakin University. She is a registered nurse, and her clinical background is infection prevention and control. Nantanit has been leading a number of studies related to infection prevention and control, antimicrobial stewardship and patient safety.
Abstract:
Introduction
Older people who live in residential aged care homes (RACHs) are particularly vulnerable to infections due to the ageing process and communal living conditions. While all RACH staff are expected to contribute to standard infection prevention and control (IPAC) practices, existing research has focused on perspectives and practices of direct care staff. Understanding how non-clinical staff contribute to IPAC in this setting is essential. The aim of this study was to examine staff perceptions of their roles in IPAC in RACHs.
Methods
A qualitative descriptive study using semi-structured interviews with 21 direct care and support staff was conducted on two RACHs in Melbourne, Australia between May and October 2024. Transcribed audio-recordings were analysed using inductive thematic analysis.
Results
Three major themes were identified from the data: i) Duty highlights the importance of building meaningful relationships while maintaining effective IPAC practices, ii) Doing refers to the routine IPAC practices that staff follow as part of standard requirements while several staff members expressed challenges in consistently adhering to them, and iii) Resources identifies key factors shaping staff perceptions of their roles in IPAC.
Conclusion
Staff perceived their primary role in IPAC was to keep older people safe through adherence to IPAC practices, while maintaining emotional connections. Participants generally perceived their knowledge of IPAC principles to be adequate. However, older people’s cognitive impairment, the challenge of maintaining IPAC standards within a home-like environment, and ongoing workforce shortages were perceived as significant barriers to effectively fulfilling staff's IPAC responsibilities in RACH settings.