Nteungue Boris Arnaud Kouomogne, Tandi Erick, Bilounga Ndongo Chanceline, Bissouma-Ledjou Tania, Acho Alphonse, Campbell Jeffrey, Ndougou Dieudonnée Reine, Habimana Reverien, Myriam Ambomo Sylvie, Nteungue Bertolt Brecht Kouam, Yannick Oyono, Bitang Louis Joss, Mballa Georges Alain Etoundi, Boum Yap
Department of Public Health, Central University of Nicaragua, Managua, Nicaragua.
School of Public Health, Texila American University, Georgetown, Guyana.
Infect Prev Pract. 2024 Oct 28;6(4):100407. doi: 10.1016/j.infpip.2024.100407. eCollection 2024 Dec.
Infection prevention and control (IPC) helps prevent disease transmission in healthcare facilities. There is a dearth of information on the implementation of IPC during the COVID-19 outbreak in Cameroon using the recommended WHO COVID-19 IPC scorecard tool. The present study assessed healthcare facilities' compliance to IPC by continuous assessments, with an evaluation of the tool using the hierarchy of control theory.
This cross-sectional study was conducted in the 10 administrative regions of Cameroon by evaluating healthcare facilities prioritized by the Ministry of Public Health as high-risk facilities between March 2020 and November 2023. Comparisons were made regarding the facilities' ownership, level and status.
2,188 assessments from 1,358 healthcare facilities were collected. The median IPC scores at each evaluation were between the intermediate and advanced level, with a bias linked with decreasing selection of facilities. However, only 172 (13%) healthcare facilities achieved advanced IPC score (≥75%). Higher IPC scores were found in hospitals (p<0.001) and in private facilities (p=0.02). Predictors of good IPC compliance were hospital (OR=3.7, CI: 1.4-9.8) and private facility (OR=2.3, CI: 1.6-3.3). The tool met the five domains of the hierarchy of control model.
Repeated IPC assessments using recommended tools contribute to a better compliance of IPC by healthcare facilities in resources constrained settings.
感染预防与控制（IPC）有助于预防医疗机构内的疾病传播。关于喀麦隆在新冠疫情期间使用世界卫生组织推荐的新冠疫情IPC记分卡工具实施IPC的信息匮乏。本研究通过持续评估来评估医疗机构对IPC的依从性，并运用控制层级理论对该工具进行评价。
本横断面研究在喀麦隆的10个行政区开展，评估对象为2020年3月至2023年11月期间被公共卫生部列为高风险机构的医疗机构。对这些机构的所有权、级别和地位进行了比较。
收集了来自1358家医疗机构的2188次评估。每次评估时IPC得分的中位数处于中级和高级水平之间，且存在与机构选择减少相关的偏差。然而，只有172家（13%）医疗机构达到了高级IPC得分（≥75%）。在医院（p<0.001）和私立机构（p=0.02）中发现了更高的IPC得分。IPC依从性良好的预测因素是医院（OR=3.7，CI：1.4-9.8）和私立机构（OR=2.3，CI：1.6-3.3）。该工具符合控制层级模型的五个领域。
在资源有限的环境中，使用推荐工具进行重复的IPC评估有助于提高医疗机构对IPC的依从性。
