Introduction to Infection Prevention and Control IPC

Infection prevention and control (IPC) is associated with improved healthcare, better quality of life and cost-effectiveness in disease prevention. On the other hand, limited or inadequate application of IPC is associated with high disease burden and poor health outcomes.

This is why IPC is now considered an emerging global priority by the World Health Organization, which outlines important priorities for the improvement of IPC practice and research on a worldwide basis.

The practice of IPC is not limited to specific healthcare sectors or geographic regions; IPC spans across the community, healthcare settings, hospitals, and involves different activities, including policy drafting and application, education, epidemiological surveillance, diagnostics, practical measures in healthcare provision, and treatment.

Application of IPC is a dynamic process, directly associated to research and surveillance. The success of IPC is relevant to the degree of adjustment to local culture, needs and priorities, while different settings and different diseases require different measures.

(Source: Tsioutis, C., & Karageorgos, S. A. (2022). Infection Prevention and Control: Practical and Educational Advances. Tropical medicine and infectious disease, 7(8), 148. https://doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed70...)