Family Experiences and Perspectives on Infection Prevention in Pediatric Long-Term Care

Area of Science:

• Healthcare-associated infections
• Pediatric long-term care facilities
• Infection prevention and control

Background:

• Residents of pediatric long-term care facilities (pLTCF) are highly susceptible to healthcare-associated infections (HAIs).
• Visitor practices significantly impact infection transmission within these vulnerable settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore family members' perspectives on infection prevention in pLTCF.
• To identify facilitators and barriers to optimal hand hygiene among visitors.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative study employing semistructured, in-depth interviews.
• Interviews conducted with 10 family members visiting children in two New York City metropolitan area pLTCF.
• Thematic analysis of interview data to identify key themes.

Main Results:

• Primary themes identified: "Everyone follows the rules" and "infections are inevitable".
• Common sense was reported as a facilitator for prevention practices.
• Distraction emerged as a significant barrier to optimal hand hygiene and other prevention measures.

Conclusions:

• Current educational strategies for visitors in pLTCF may be insufficient to promote effective infection prevention behaviors.
• There is a need to develop and test nurse-led educational interventions tailored for families visiting pLTCF.
• Improving visitor adherence to infection prevention protocols is essential for reducing HAIs in pediatric long-term care settings.