Engaging Direct Care Providers in Improving Infection Prevention and Control Practices Using Participatory Visual...

Area of Science:

• Healthcare quality improvement
• Infection prevention and control
• Visual research methods

Background:

• Effective infection prevention and control (IPC) practices are crucial in hospital settings.
• Identifying barriers and facilitators to IPC adherence is essential for quality improvement.
• Traditional assessment methods may not fully capture the complexities of clinical practice.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the feasibility of using provider-led participatory visual methods to evaluate IPC practices.
• To explore the utility of photo walkabouts and photo elicitation in identifying areas for improvement.
• To determine nurse engagement with visual methods for examining and enhancing unit-level practices.

Main Methods:

• The quality improvement project utilized provider-led participatory visual methods.
• Key methods included: provider-led photo walkabouts, photo elicitation sessions, and post-improvement photo walkabouts.
• These methods were implemented across four hospital units.

Main Results:

• Nurses demonstrated ready engagement with the participatory visual methods.
• The methods facilitated the examination of existing infection prevention and control practices.
• Participants actively identified opportunities for improvement and reorganization of their work environment.

Conclusions:

• Provider-led participatory visual methods are a feasible approach for scrutinizing hospital IPC practices.
• These methods effectively engage clinical staff in quality improvement initiatives.
• Visual tools can support the identification and implementation of practice changes to enhance patient safety.