
Waleed A. Mazi
Regional Directorate for Infection Prevention and Control
Directorate of Health Affairs, Taif
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Title: Strategies in developing an Effective Infection Prevention and Control Program
Biography
Biography: Waleed A. Mazi
Abstract
Infection prevention and control programs involves everyone; the patient, healthcare workers, and visitors. In order to maintain a health and safe environment, any effective strategy must understand that you are dealing with people with different languages, religions, nationalities and cultural attitudes. Therefore, preventionists should have an effective ability to communicate new skills, and to encourage and motivate people involved. Plus, an ability to address issues and flawed implementation habits that have formed historically within the organization.
Based on my local experience in Taif, Saudi Arabia, organizations should believe strongly in their value systems and in their appropriate standards in the clinical environment. These rules should become not just guidelines but “organizational law”. Zero tolerance of healthcare associated infections can be achievable for MOH hospitals by following the SHEA/IDSA practice guidelines and setting them as applicable standards or “laws”. For example, we observed 60% reduction of central-line associated bloodstream infection and achieved to NHSN 50 percentile of catheter associated urinary tract infections in 2012. Also, there is increasing evidence, that international or national accreditation programs can play a vital role in healthcare service improvement. Infection control auditing compliance rate results in hospital standards on infection control have increased from 76% to 86% during 2017