An ethnographic study of infection prevention and control practices in a mental health trust

Hughes, J

Abstract

Health care associated infections are high on the National Health Service agenda
due to associated increased morbidity and mortality rates and subsequently
added pressure of reductionist performance targets. Failure to meet these results
in financial penalties, cost pressures, litigation and poor public faith and
confidence in non compliant organisations. Studies show many such infections
are preventable, often resulting from poor compliance with infection prevention
and control practices by healthcare workers. Focus to date of this research and
data has been on acute healthcare facilities with little attention to mental health
settings.
This thesis presents the findings of a study based on ethnographic principles,
exploring the perceptions of healthcare workers in a mental health care setting
into what affects infection prevention and control practices. The impact of the
organisational culture was the predominant context. Eighteen healthcare workers
meeting the inclusion criteria participated in the study recruited from a large
mental health trust in the north west of England, the majority being nurses. Their
experiences were collected through in-depth, face to face semi-structured
interviews with participants. These were tape recorded, transcribed verbatim and
subjected to thematic content analysis. Participant observations of discussions
held during four multi-disciplinary ward rounds were also undertaken. The study
field was Older People in-patient areas chosen due to increased vulnerability of
the client group to healthcare associated infections. Field notes were subjected
to thematic analysis. Four overarching themes emerged from the data:
experiences of healthcare workers in relation to perceived lack of infection
prevention and control training and education; risks of healthcare associated
infections to both patients and staff; effect of organisational culture on compliance
with infection prevention and control; importance of leadership and role models in
this area. The findings clearly offer a unique insight into a hitherto unexplored
area in relation to the importance of infection prevention and control within mental
health care settings, identifying a need for strategic direction for future policy and
practice.

Citation

Hughes, J. An ethnographic study of infection prevention and control practices in a mental health trust. (Thesis). University of Salford

• Thesis Type: Thesis
• Deposit Date: Jul 30, 2021
• Award Date: May 1, 2012