An exploration of nursing home staff perceptions of the impact of infection prevention and control champions in Ireland: A descriptive qualitative study

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dc.contributor.authorByrne, Richard
dc.contributor.authorSmiddy, Maura
dc.date.accessioned2026-10-06T10:53:01Z
dc.date.available2026-10-06T10:53:01Z
dc.date.issued2026-08-27
dc.description.abstractBackground: The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need for robust Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) policies and for the workforce of long-term residential care facilities (LTRCFs) to be educated and trained in IPC with support from specialists with IPC knowledge and advice. IPC champions are often put in place within LTRCFs to provide education and guidance. The aim of this study was to explore how the impact of trained IPC champions (or leads) was perceived by staff in the long-term residential care settings. Methods: Purposive sampling was conducted to recruit participants from three LTRCFs located in the East of Ireland. Semi-structured interviews were conducted amongst six participants which were then transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis. Results: Four themes were identified via codes and sub-themes: (1) IPC Core Knowledge and Skills, (2) Point of Care Coaching and Support, (3) Practical Enablers of IPC and (4) Audit and Quality Improvement in IPC. Conclusion: The results indicate that IPC champions make a positive impact on IPC practices and procedures in Irish LTRCFs. The identified themes and sub-themes indicate that IPC champions’ roles are multi-faceted, and that they utilise several skills to ensure best IPC practices are carried out in their workplace.en
dc.description.versionAccepted Version
dc.format.extent6
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen
dc.identifier.authororcidByrne, Richard
dc.identifier.authororcidSmiddy, Maura§0000-0002-7425-4471
dc.identifier.citationByrne, R. and Smiddy, M. (2026) 'An exploration of nursing home staff perceptions of the impact of infection prevention and control champions in Ireland: A descriptive qualitative study', Journal of Infection Prevention, 27(5), pp. 245-250. https://doi.org/10.1177/17571774261477863en
dc.identifier.doi10.1177/17571774261477863
dc.identifier.endpage250
dc.identifier.issn1757-1774
dc.identifier.issued5
dc.identifier.journaltitleJournal of Infection Prevention
dc.identifier.startpage245
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10468/19418
dc.identifier.volume27
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherSAGE Publications Ltd
dc.relation.urihttps://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105050377922
dc.rights© 2026, the Author(s).
dc.rights.accessrightsopen access
dc.rights.licensenameAttribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
dc.rights.urihttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
dc.statusPeer reviewed
dc.subjectFacilities
dc.subjectHIQA
dc.subjectHSE
dc.subjectInfection control
dc.subjectInfection prevention and control
dc.subjectIPC
dc.subjectLong-term care
dc.subjectLTRCFs
dc.subjectNursing homes
dc.subject[PublicHealth]
dc.titleAn exploration of nursing home staff perceptions of the impact of infection prevention and control champions in Ireland: A descriptive qualitative studyen
dc.typeArticle (peer-reviewed)
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