Approximately one out of every 20 hospitalised patients contracts a healthcare associated infection, of which around half are preventable. These infections add to the functional disability and emotional stress of the patient and in some cases, lead to disabling conditions that reduce the quality of life. In addition, they contribute to increased hospital stays and added expense to the healthcare system. Professional organisations for infection control, patient safety and quality and healthcare epidemiology have published numerous evidence-based guidelines relating to the practice of health care infection control. However, there are numerous organisational, environmental and behavioural factors which impact on the success of the strategies outlined in these guidelines.

This course is aimed at those working in public health or related disciplines that are interested in being brought up to date with the current knowledge and practices regarding the prevention and control of infections in our healthcare settings. This course will equip students with a comprehensive understanding of healthcare associated infections and the skills to evaluate the different strategies to prevent them. The course draws on recognised experts with a breath of experience, and has an emphasis on practical learning experiences using real case scenarios.

This course is an elective course of the Master of Public Health and Master of International Public Health Programs, comprising six units of credit towards the total required for completion of the study program. There are no pre-requisites for this course. This course has been designed to complement and enhance the breadth of courses focused on public health aspects of infectious diseases being offered to SPHCM postgraduate coursework students, particularly PHCM9782 Current Challenges in Infectious Diseases.

It is important that students enrolling in the course have some level of knowledge and experience in public health or a health-related area. Interested students, who are not enrolled in a Masters program offered by the School of Public Health and Community Medicine, will need to contact the course convenor, who will assess whether they have the appropriate background, before they can enroll in the course.