Ms Debra Lee1
1Office Of Industrial Relations, Brisbane, Australia, 2Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia
Biography:
Forty years a nurse. Almost half spent in Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) with a smidge of Public Health practice. Demonstrating agility post-pandemic by pivoting from acute-care to IPC in the “real world”. She is a Specialist Advisor for Workplace Health and Safety Queensland, advising the Inspectorate and the public.
Abstract:
Infection prevention is a core component of public health; however, its application and understanding outside healthcare settings, particularly within workplaces, has received comparatively little attention. While infection control has been a major focus in clinical environments, there is limited information on the general public’s understanding of fundamental infection prevention principles in occupational contexts.
Health literacy in relation to infection prevention is not well characterised. Workers and employers may be required to interpret and implement infection control measures to suit their individual circumstances. Accessing evidence-based guidance can be difficult. Recently published Safe Work Australia’s (SWA) Model Code of Practice (CoP) for Managing Biological Hazards reflects increasing attention to infectious disease risks across a range of industries.
The non-hospital workplace presents an important setting for infection prevention professionals to translate concepts into practical, accessible guidance for non-specialist audiences. Thus, research is required to explore baseline knowledge and perceptions of infection prevention among the general working population, to identify potential barriers to effective communication and guide implementation of evidence-based practices.
This presentation will describe how regulatory frameworks and guidance, including the SWA CoP, may be applied in a variety of workplace settings. It aims to challenge further exploration into this frontier, by prompting conversation of how infection prevention professionals can support translation of evidence into practice and improve the accessibility of guidance for non-healthcare settings.