Spreading knowledge and preventing infection was the trending topic at QEII this month, where the Infection Prevention and Management Service (IPMS) team hosted an event to remember for International Infection Prevention Week (13-19 October).
Crawling with life-sized bacteria replica plushies, interactive games, quizzes and prizes, the honorary stall brought staff together from all corners of campus for some serious fun and friendly competition.
With a range of complementary educational sessions also held throughout the week, over 450 attendees across 16 sessions caught knowledge on everything from enhancing clinical practice to identifying and managing different viruses.
IPMS Clinical Nurse Consultant (CNC) Nikki Robinson says the 2024 theme moving the needle on infection prevention is a timely reflection of QEII’s commitment to raising awareness after a challenging year at the unit.
“We’re focusing on preventing outbreaks here at QEII, because we’ve had a few containments this year, so it’s a great time to get some education done with staff,” she said.
“If you get the basics right, everything else falls into place. That starts with correct hand hygiene and cleaning practices.
It was a winning combination of reinforcing simple and effective prevention methods, awareness-raising, and engaging staff in a fun and interactive session that made the event a hit.
“Infection control is everyone’s business. We’ve had everyone from nurses to food services and security team members participating, and it’s been very successful,” she said.
“We’ve had lots of interaction with the games and activities, and getting turns at things means that more people participate and we’re all learning along the way.”
The IPMS team ended the week on a high after being named runner-up in the Qld Infection Prevention and Control Unit’s (QIPCU) Infection Prevention Week quality improvement competition.
In collaboration with ED staff, the IPMS team successfully implemented a QR code system at QEII that identifies patients receiving ADT (Adult Diphtheria Tetanus) vaccines at the ED, and enables the IPMS team to enter the details into the Australian Immunisation Register.
The project was cited for effectively improving engagement with the department, while achieving excellent results in documentation and communication for patient safety.
Congratulations on a week of achievements and thank you for keeping the QEII community safe, team!