Tammy McMahon, Linda Pottathuparambil, Mrs Michelle Bolte1
1Tamworth Rural Referral Hospital, Tamworth, Australia
Biography:
Michelle Bolte is a Clinical Nurse Consultant in Infection Prevention at Tamworth Rural Referral Hospital. She leads the Infection Prevention Connect program and has won ACIPC Best Poster awards in 2021, 2023, and 2024. Michelle is passionate about rural innovation, leadership development, and improving patient outcomes through evidence-based practice.
Abstract:
In 2017, a busy 190-bed rural referral hospital faced a familiar challenge: how to consistently promote infection prevention best practices with limited resources. With only one Infection Prevention Consultant and a small team of hand hygiene auditors, maintaining education, audit rigor, and consistent messaging proved difficult across clinical areas.
In 2018, a nurse-led, practice-based innovation was launched with strong support from the Director of Nursing. The Infection Prevention Connect program established a network of link nurses and wardsmen embedded in clinical units, each given protected time monthly for focused education, peer training, audits, and leadership in local quality improvement.
What began as a single-person effort has grown into a team of 16 empowered frontline champions. Over the past eight years, this model has produced sustained improvements in hand hygiene compliance, measurable reductions in healthcare-associated infections, and numerous award-winning quality projects.
This program exemplifies the interplay between evidence-based practice and practice-based evidence. National standards guided its foundation, while frontline experience shaped its evolution—forming a true circle of influence. The model shows how rural facilities can build infection prevention and leadership capacity by leveraging existing staff, fostering accountability, and investing in peer-led initiatives.
Infection Prevention Connect is an inspiring, scalable approach that transforms isolated efforts into a resilient, collaborative network. It demonstrates that influence grows not from hierarchy, but from connection—empowering rural healthcare workers to lead change and safeguard patient outcomes from the ground up.