Nurses' documentation of infection control precautions: 2

A small action research study was undertaken, using a quasi-experimental approach, to establish to what extent infection control advice was documented and to assess the effectiveness of the provision of an example care plan for control of infection. The study population comprised two groups of patients colonized or infected with ALERT organisms and involved 28 wards in six hospitals. Baseline data confirmed that infection control precautions were documented for less than 25% of patients overall. Provision of an 'example' care plan, together with guidance in its use, was followed by an increase in documentation for all items audited, while identification of the infection in the care plan showed a statistically significant increase (P < 0.05). However, in spite of this apparent improvement the documentation of appropriate care for control of infection remained inadequate. It is concluded that, while various strategies to effect change are at the infection control nurse's disposal, the need to integrate infection control with practice must be addressed at every level to include managers, educators and practitioners.