FHI - FHI Organizes Pioneering Workshop on Infection Control

DECEMBER 2008 — With the collaboration with the Punjab AIDS Control Program, FHI/Pakistan organized Sept. 19-20 that country's first workshop on infection control practices for HIV/AIDS programs. It offered training in infection control and waste management for healthcare providers employed by FHI's implementing partners in drop-in centers that offer voluntary counseling and testing for HIV and management of sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

The workshop was attended by 28 participants from all four of Pakistan's provinces. STI physicians from the National AIDS Control Program's Pakistan Truckers Project and the Pakistan HIV/AIDS Prevention and Care Project (PHAPCP) were present, along with in-charge doctors and laboratory technicians from surveillance centers and pathology laboratories of the Punjab AIDS Control Program.

Participants shared their experiences and learned from each other during presentations, demonstrations, group work, and plenary discussions that encouraged active involvement. A pre-test at the beginning of the workshop and a post-test at the end were used to evaluate the workshop's impact.

Workshop outcomes
By the end of the workshop, participants were familiar with international standards and the National AIDS Control Program's guidelines for infection control, as well as with World Health Organization's Safe Management of Wastes from Healthcare Activities. Armed with this knowledge, they identified gaps and proposed infection-control solutions in their work locations. They also identified issues that need to be addressed, including insufficient training for clinic staff, unavailability of autoclave and personal protective equipment, and the absence of budgets for infection control and waste management.

The participants drafted recommendations for FHI to implement or champion. The Sargodha executive district health officer and in-charge physicians at surveillance centers in the district asked FHI to conduct similar workshops for healthcare staff at its hospitals and treatment centers. Participants also suggested that training workshops should be offered for nurses, paramedical staff, and sanitary workers, and that infection control committees should be established at various health facilities.