The path to infection prevention and control (IPC) nirvana 2030 is charted by a global vision endorsed by all countries of the world, that by 2030 everyone accessing or providing health care is safe from associated infections. This is the World Health Organization (WHO) vision.
Many IPC-related societies also have their own vision or mission and no surprise – they’re all rather similar.
There are many ways to get there but without effective advocacy and communications the journey is likely to be slow and hard. What this means is how we talk about IPC matters. This essentially means developing /updating and executing an effective narrative on how IPC is a lifesaving endeavour.
If IPC were on trial, how do you think it would it answer the following questions? How would you answer them?
- What is at the core of what you do to prevent infections and save lives?
- Can you tell me that you are good at concisely articulating the relationship between IPC and patient outcome?
- What more could you have done to convince people of the value of IPC?
Our answers to these questions might help to build a refreshed, strong and effective IPC narrative.
| “Clarity in what IPC actually means requires advocacy to convince politicians, stakeholders and partners, and to raise awareness and knowledge among professionals and patients. This needs a targeted approach towards different audiences and depending on the topic. Plans and information should consider the important role of social media to disseminate content.” |
What’s your IPC narrative? Here we propose two.
IPC Narrative 1:
“IPC is a practical evidence-based approach that lies at the intersection of clinical practice and public health, and hence also contributes to broader public health issues such as the prevention and control of epidemics and pandemics and AMR.”
IPC Narrative 2:
“IPC is an enabler of safe, cost effective, quality care.”
It all depends on who needs to hear this, who needs convincing.
| “It makes no sense at any level of the health system for IPC to be considered in a vacuum. “Collaborations can be a game changer in achieving IPC, but this needs effective communication.” |
Do you collaborate with communications experts to get your IPC narrative heard and respected?
| “The implementation of communication strategies needs to take account of evaluation of impact, which can be difficult and requires expertise” |
Have you got a national advocacy strategy and implementation plan?
We have taken the best information from different sources to help create such plans for different audiences, using this WHO strategic communications framework for effective communications as one example.
Share your IPC narrative with others now – and together we can make the message louder.