Dr Matt Mason1,2,3, Dr Elizabeth Elder4,6,7, Dr Peta-Anne Zimmerman3,4,5
1School of Health, University of The Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, Australia, 2Australian Center for Pacific Island Research, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs , Australia, 3Collaboration for the Advancement of Infection Prevention and Control, Gold Coast, Australia, 4School of Nursing and Midwifery, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Australia, 5Infection Control Department, Gold Coast Health, Gold Coast, Australia, 6Department of Emergency Medicine, Gold Coast Health, Gold Coast, Australia, 7Centre for Work, Organisation and Wellbeing, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Australia
Biography:
Matt is a lecturer at UniSC, and a researcher with the Australian Centre for Pacific Islands Research. Matt has 20 years working in IPC, leads a teaching and research agenda across IPC grounded in the provision of accessible and safe services for communities and the health staff that serve them.
Abstract:
Problem/Issue: Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) practices predominantly reflect Western medical models while marginalising diverse knowledge systems, perpetuating structural inequities in healthcare. This systemic bias has resulted in exclusion of non-Western medical practices, creating disparities in healthcare access and outcomes for marginalised communities.
Approach: We reviewed knowledge systems from First Peoples of Australia, Abrahamic faiths, and exemplar non-Abrahamic traditions (Hindu, Buddhist) that predate Western IPC leaders. This included identifying traditional IPC practices such as the use of soap plants by First Nations peoples, hygiene practices documented in religious texts, and the contributions of early scholars like Rufaida al-Asalmiya and Ibn Sina.
Results: Sophisticated understandings of infection prevention dating back thousands of years are evident, challenging the dominant "Great Person" historical narrative that privileges Western contributions. Examples include First Peoples' use of antimicrobial plants, detailed sanitation protocols in Biblical texts, early Muslim scholars' hygiene practices, and Hindu Ayurvedic principles of cleanliness, all predating modern Western IPC frameworks by centuries, if not millennia.
Conclusions: Decolonising IPC requires actively incorporating diverse cultural perspectives and acknowledging other and older knowledge systems. The World Health Organization's Traditional Medicine Strategy demonstrates commitment to realigning Western medicine with traditional practices, creating more inclusive, culturally appropriate approaches to healthcare.
Lessons Learned: Creating safe spaces for knowledge sharing through methods like yarning circles can effectively combine cultural knowledge with evidence-based practice. By challenging Eurocentric paradigms and recognising collective knowledge systems rather than isolated individual achievements, we can develop equitable, globally relevant IPC approaches that improve outcomes across diverse populations.