Experts urge hospitals to adopt coordinated strategies for infection control

Bhubaneswar: Infection prevention and control is a shared responsibility of all healthcare workers and should not be left to microbiologists alone, experts said at a workshop held in Odisha. 

The workshop 'Breaking the Chain: Modern Infection Control Strategies for Safer Hospitals' was organised by the Department of Hospital Administration of the Institute of Business and Computer Studies (IBCS), Faculty of Management Sciences, SOA Deemed to be University.

The workshop stressed the need for hospitals to adopt a coordinated and systematic approach to preventing infections by identifying and breaking every link in the chain of infection.

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The technical sessions were conducted by Dr Purabi Baral, Head of the Department of Microbiology and Hospital Infection Control Officer, SUM Ultimate Medicare, and Dr Pragnya P. Jena, Infection Prevention and Control Officer, Bio-safety Officer and Associate Professor, Department of Microbiology, Institute of Medical Sciences and SUM Hospital, reports UNI.

The experts discussed their insights into contemporary infection control practices and strategies for reducing the risk of healthcare-associated infections and creating safer hospital environments. 

They emphasised that hospital administrators, doctors, nurses, support staff and every other stakeholder involved in patient care have an important role to play in infection prevention.

Prof (Dr) Ayasa Kanta Mohanty, Dean, IBCS, delivered the welcome address, while Dr Preeti Y Shadangi, MHA Programme and Workshop Coordinator, outlined the theme and objectives of the workshop.

Prof (Dr) Manoranjan Dash, Associate Dean, IBCS, delivered the keynote address and emphasised the importance of integrating microbiology, infection control and hospital management to effectively break the chain of infection.

Drawing a link between traditional practices and modern infection control measures, Dash referred to Odisha's 'Anasara' tradition of Lord Jagannath as a metaphor for seclusion, protection and prevention. He said the traditional practice and contemporary infection-control measures shared common principles of restricted exposure, protection and prevention.

The workshop covered several critical aspects of infection prevention, including hand hygiene, personal protective equipment (PPE), patient isolation, environmental cleaning, biomedical waste management, healthcare-associated infections, infection surveillance and antimicrobial resistance.

The programme highlighted the importance of a multidisciplinary approach to infection control for ensuring safer hospitals, protecting patients and healthcare workers, and improving the quality of healthcare delivery.

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