Ms. Alison Smith1,2, Dr Gillian Ray-Barruel2,3, Dr Jessica Schults2,3
1Queensland Health, Herston, Australia, 2Herston Infectious Diseases Institute, Herston, Australia, 3University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia
Biography:
Alison Smith is a Clinical Nurse who moved into Infection Prevention and Management in 2018 after a 20 year career working in adult Intensive Care. With a Diploma in Counselling, Alison has always shown a compassionate approach to the care delivered to patients and has been driven to explore opportunities and strategies that could improve the emotional outcomes for patients. After attaining her Master of Healthcare Redesign, she has embraced the opportunity to work collaboratively in the research space and continues to combine her interests of infection management, communication and patient experience.
Abstract:
Background
Infection prevention and control (IPC) research is pivotal in evidence-based decision-making and improving patient outcomes. In Australia, the breadth of IPC research topics and studies is unknown. The aim of this scoping review was to map Australian publications in IPC over the last decade to determine the type and focus of research undertaken, to inform future research.
Method
Scoping review using Arksey and O’Malley’s framework. We conducted a systematic search of electronic databases (CINAHL, PubMed and Embase) using keywords and MeSH terms related to infection prevention and control. We included any IPC-related publications from an Australian recruiting site or investigator published between 2013–2024. Aged care, COVID, Antimicrobial stewardship, Vaccination/Immunisation, and Epidemiology were excluded. EndNote and Excel databases were used to collate data.
Results
The initial search yielded 1199 articles. Following title/abstract screening, 161 publications were included (1031 excluded). First author’s primary affiliation was listed as a university (76%, 123/161). Location was described as public hospital (36/161), private (1/161), both public and private (24/161), or unspecified (100/161). Dominant topics were Hospital-Acquired Infection and Hand Hygiene. Most prevalent study designs were cohort studies (24%, 38/161) and reviews (16%, 26/161). No consumer involvement was identified in publication authorship.
Conclusion
Australian IPC publications in the past decade indicate that opportunity exists for clinician researchers, with most outputs currently driven by academics. Collaboration with rigorous research designs across all states and territories in both public and private facilities is desirable. The findings should be considered within the limitations of the search strategy.