The Infection Prevention and Control Pilot Study in Kenya

Overview

WHAT IS INFECTION PREVENTION AND CONTROL?

Infection prevention and control (IPC) processes and procedures are used in health care settings to prevent patients and health workers from being harmed by hospital-
acquired infections, antimicrobial resistance, and infectious disease outbreaks. Examples of IPC measures include hand washing, environmental cleaning, and wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) such as masks and gloves.

WHAT DID THE STUDY EXPLORE?

The IPC Pilot Study in Kenya was designed to assess the extent to which IPC processes and limitations may have contributed to health service disruptions between March 2020 and February 2021. Key study questions included:

POLICY CONTEXT: What policies and guidance were adopted and implemented in response to the COVID-19 pandemic? This includes restrictions on travel and people gathering, and IPC guidance at health facilities.

DISRUPTIONS: How many and what types of health service disruptions occurred? How severe were the disruptions and how often were services disrupted? Which service points were most disrupted? What plans were put into place to prevent future disruptions?

IPC LIMITATIONS OR COMMITMENTS: How many disruptions were related to IPC limitations or commitments, such as policies, resources, personal protective equipment (PPE) and other supplies, training, staff availability, and exposure procedures?

FACILITY ATTENDANCE BY SERVICE POINT: What effect did the COVID-19 pandemic have on facility attendance across different service delivery points, such as inpatient and outpatient services?

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• All facilities reported health services disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Many reasons for health service disruptions could be mitigated through improved IPC processes and procedures at the facility level. 
• Protecting healthcare personnel to prevent staff shortages and absences must be a priority. 
• Attendance at both inpatient and outpatient services declined since the COVID-19 epidemic began through February 2021. 
• Further investment in IPC measures and capacity is key to reducing and mitigating the impact of COVID-19 on health services and preventing disruptions during future public health emergencies.