Infection prevention and control is patient safety priority in our healthcare facilities. In the near future common treatable infections may become untreatable. It has been estimated that 1 in 10 hospitalised patients acquire a healthcare associated infection (HAIs) and of these around a third are thought to be preventable and the risk of death associated with these infections can be high. Healthcare associated infections contribute to the disability and stress of the patient, additional length of stay and cost and may be associated with death. Infection prevention and control in healthcare settings is a national priority endorsed by the World Health Organization, the Australian Government, Ministries of Health, the Australian Commission of Quality and Safety in Health Care and healthcare facility accreditation organisations.

Healthcare managers, clinicians, planners and policy makers will especially benefit from this course as it aims provide an overview of the complexity of the causes of HAI, drivers of the spread of HAI and the prevention and control programs for HAIs. The course is aligned with the National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Standards 3. The course draws on internationally recognised experts from the SPHCM and from the field who will contribute a breadth of experience, and has an emphasis on practical learning experiences using real case scenarios.

There are no pre-requisites for this course. However, it is an advantage if you have basic knowledge about the transmission routes of infectious diseases and an interest in infection prevention and control. Experience in healthcare settings or patient care-related field will be beneficial for this elective. This course complements the content of PHCM9781 Evidence Informed Decision Making, PHCM9782 Current Challenges in Infectious Diseases and PHCM9731 Outbreak Investigation.

Interested students, who are not enrolled in a Master’s 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 enrol in the course.