Exploring infection control with residents, families and staff in residential aged care homes: early insights from a video-reflexive ethnographic project

Dr Suyin Hor¹, Dr Heidi Merrington¹

¹University Of Technology Sydney

Biography:

Suyin is a social scientist whose research examines how safe and high quality care is accomplished amidst the complexity of health and aged care services, with a specialisation in infection prevention and control (IPC). Her research is done in collaboration with healthcare professionals, patients, residents and their families and carers, and has led to broadened understandings of safety, communication, and IPC; sustained practice and policy changes, as well as reductions in MRSA prevalence.

Abstract:

Video-reflexive ethnography (VRE) has long been used to understand and improve infection prevention and control (IPC) practices in acute healthcare settings. In a world-first study, the video is now applied to examine IPC in residential aged care homes (RACHs), which differ from acute care in important respects. Our aim is to better understand how IPC can centre the priorities, preferences and rights of older people, along with their families and carers, within the RACH setting.

Methods: Working with staff, families and residents in a RACH, researchers engage in fieldwork, including observations and interviews, to identify routine activities relevant to IPC. These activities are then videoed, where feasible, and with consent from participants. Selected clips are reviewed by participants in reflexive discussions facilitated by a researcher. These reflexive discussions explore the complexity of IPC work – how it is done and why, what works well, and how it might be done differently.

Results: We present early insights from our fieldwork, to illustrate how VRE yields empirical data about the contextual realities that compete with, constrain and support IPC from the perspective of residents, families and staff. Ideas for improvements and opportunities for involving residents and families in IPC are also elicited.

Conclusions: VRE, undergirded by collaboration between researchers, residents, families and staff, enables rich understandings of IPC in real-life RACHs. Study findings will be used to inform the co-design of educational and evaluation resources for the sector, that are grounded in the realities, concerns and priorities of those at the frontline.