Key lessons from the establishment of a nurse-led infection prevention and control program for COVID-19 in an Australian hotel quarantine and isolation service

J Petty; A Peacock-Smith; E Dawson; E McSweeney; A Ganesh; B McEntee; R Einboden

doi:10.1016/j.idh.2024.03.003

Key lessons from the establishment of a nurse-led infection prevention and control program for COVID-19 in an Australian hotel quarantine and isolation service

Infect Dis Health. 2024 Apr 30:S2468-0451(24)00021-X. doi: 10.1016/j.idh.2024.03.003. Online ahead of print.

Authors

J Petty¹, A Peacock-Smith¹, E Dawson², E McSweeney³, A Ganesh⁴, B McEntee⁵, R Einboden⁶

Affiliations

¹ Infection Prevention and Control Unit, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, Australia; Infection Prevention and Control, Special Health Accommodation, Sydney, Australia.
² Infection Prevention and Control Unit, Concord Repatriation General Hospital, Sydney, Australia; Infection Prevention and Control, Special Health Accommodation, Sydney, Australia.
³ Infection Prevention and Control, Special Health Accommodation, Sydney, Australia; Infection Prevention and Control Unit, Prince of Wales Hospital, Sydney, Australia.
⁴ Infection Prevention and Control, Special Health Accommodation, Sydney, Australia; Haematology, Concord Repatriation General Hospital, Sydney, Australia.
⁵ Infection Prevention and Control, Special Health Accommodation, Sydney, Australia; Infection Prevention and Control Unit, St George Hospital, Sydney, Australia.
⁶ University of Ottawa, Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Nursing, Ottawa, Canada; Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario & Research Institute, Ottawa, Canada; Western Sydney University, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Australia; The University of Sydney, Susan Wakil School of Nursing and Midwifery, Australia. Electronic address: rochelle.einboden@sydney.edu.au.

PMID: 38692950
DOI: 10.1016/j.idh.2024.03.003

Abstract

Background: A key aspect of Australia's response to the COVID-19 pandemic was to control transmission through legislated quarantine and isolation of overseas returning travellers and potentially infectious community members. In New South Wales, Special Health Accommodation (SHA) was rapidly established as a comprehensive health service for individuals that were at risk of having COVID-19, were confirmed to have COVID-19 or for those with complex health needs that were deemed inappropriate for management in Police managed Quarantine Hotels. SHA services were later expanded to care for community members who were COVID-19 positive and unable to effectively isolate, or contacts of individuals who were unable to quarantine effectively in their homes. SHA's unique nurse-led Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) program offers key lessons that may impact future programs.

Methods: A reflection on the experience of leading an Infection Prevention and Control program in SHA was undertaken. This was supported by a review of SHA admission, workforce and transmission data and data obtained from a cross-sectional questionnaire aimed to better understand the experiences of a novel population of health workers (HW) in a comprehensive health-led quarantine and isolation service.

Results: SHA program data demonstrates how its IPC program implementation prevented transmission of COVID-19 to SHA staff and patients. Responses from the questionnaire suggested staff felt safe and well-prepared through the IPC education they received. They also gained transferrable knowledge and skills, which they intend to use in future healthcare roles.

Conclusion: The SHA nurse-led IPC program offered successful quarantine and isolation for COVID-19 in non-purpose-built facilities. A review of IPC strategies and key lessons from the establishment of the SHA IPC program are of critical importance to planning and management of current and future pandemics.

Keywords: Australia; COVID-19; Hotel quarantine; Infection prevention and control; Nurse-led; Pandemic response.