Society-Based Infection Prevention and Control Guidelines After COVID-19: A Delphi Study

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Infection Prevention and Control
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Current infection prevention and control (IPC) guidelines are insufficient for public settings, leading to rising infection rates.
• There is a critical need to update and standardize IPC practices outside of healthcare facilities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To achieve expert consensus on developing and modifying IPC guidelines for public safety.
• To establish a framework for future public health-related infection prevention and control practices.

Main Methods:

• A three-round Delphi technique involving 18 infection prevention and control experts.
• Individual interviews were conducted across the three Delphi rounds to gather consensus.

Main Results:

• Consensus was reached on three key themes: policies and regulations, education and curricula reform, and IPC public manual content.
• Identified need for a dedicated department to manage IPC and training in non-healthcare institutions.

Conclusions:

• Formulated essential guidelines for community-based IPC outside healthcare settings using a Delphi consensus process.
• Emphasized the necessity of standardized policies, universal education, and a unified public IPC manual.
• Mandated a designated authority for IPC training and oversight in non-healthcare sectors to improve public safety post-COVID-19.