Marilyn Mandigma1
1AusHFG Health Planning Unit Lead Australasian Health Infrastructure Alliance
Biography:
Marilyn Mandigma is the Health Planning Unit Lead for the Australasian Health Facility Guidelines (AusHFG), where she brings a multidisciplinary skill set spanning clinical care, healthcare design, strategic infrastructure development, and the development of health planning and design guidance. With formal qualifications in both nursing and design, she combines her experience as a Registered Nurse with over 17 years in clinical facility planning in Australia and internationally.
As the lead facilitator for AusHFG Part D: Infection Prevention and Control, Marilyn guided the comprehensive review of Australasian-endorsed design guidance in close collaboration with IPC experts. The resulting evidence-based framework supports health services, design teams, and other stakeholders in delivering safe, resilient, and future-ready healthcare environments.
Abstract:
The Australasian Health Facility Guidelines (AusHFG), developed by the Australasian Health Infrastructure Alliance (AHIA) in collaboration with public health authorities across Australia and New Zealand, provide a nationally consistent framework for the planning, design, and delivery of healthcare infrastructure. In early 2025, a revised edition of Part D: Infection Prevention and Control was released, following a review of IPC literature and extensive consultation with IPC professionals and subject matter experts. The Part D revision represents a significant advancement in embedding IPC principles into the built environment to mitigate healthcare-associated infection (HAI) risks. Key enhancements are structured around eight overarching IPC principles: governance; risk assessment and management; standard and transmission-based precautions; patient-centred controls; surfaces, finishes and components; hazard elimination; models of service delivery; and sustainability. The updated Part D aligns closely with complementary AusHFG resources, including Pandemic Preparedness – Health Infrastructure Planning & Design Guidance and Isolation Rooms – Engineering and Design Requirements, to provide a cohesive and evidence-informed approach to IPC infrastructure planning, design and construction.
This presentation will outline the systematic AusHFG review process underpinning the Part D revision, examine the rationale and evidence base informing the updated guidance, and discuss its implications for healthcare facility design and operational practice. It will also highlight the structured feedback mechanisms that enable continuous refinement of IPC-related infrastructure recommendations, ensuring the guidelines remain responsive to evolving risks, clinical needs, and best practice standards.