South Africa Infection Prevention and Control Study

Overview

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by the transmission of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus, has disrupted the delivery of health services worldwide. This health emergency has reinforced the need for infection prevention and control (IPC) processes and procedures, which seek to prevent patient 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, social distancing, and wearing personal protective equipment (PPE), such as masks and gloves. While IPC processes and procedures aim to reduce virus transmission and mortality, the extent to which IPC limitations or commitments may contribute to health service disruptions is largely unknown. The COVID-19 pandemic overwhelmed many health systems and led to a variety of disruptions in services from provision of essential care to surveillance systems and processes for antimicrobial resistance (AMR) – another important, global threat. Understanding the role of IPC in health emergencies will help public health specialists to develop more effective IPC protocols and trainings, improve access to supplies and trained professionals, strengthen AMR activities, and prevent potential disruptions during future crises.

Study Objectives

The IPC Study aimed to quantify the type and extent of health service disruptions and to assess the extent to which IPC processes and limitations may have contributed to those disruptions between March 2020 and February 2021. Key study questions included:

• 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, 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?
• AMR SURVEILLANCE AND LABORATORY SYSTEMS: To what extent were AMR activities and laboratory operations disrupted during the COVID-19 pandemic?