title: Overcoming the obstacles of implementing infection prevention and control guidelines.
abstract: Reasons for a successful or unsuccessful implementation of infection prevention and control (IPC) guidelines are often multiple and interconnected. This article reviews key elements from the national to the individual level that contribute to the success of the implementation of IPC measures and gives perspectives for improvement. Governance approaches, modes of communication and formats of guidelines are discussed with a view to improve collaboration and transparency among actors. The culture of IPC influences practices and varies according to countries, specialties and healthcare providers. We describe important contextual aspects, such as relationships between actors and resources and behavioural features including professional background or experience. Behaviour change techniques providing goal-setting, feedback and action planning have proved effective in mobilizing participants and may be key to trigger social movements of implementation. The leadership of international societies in coordinating actions at international, national and institutional levels using multidisciplinary approaches and fostering collaboration among clinical microbiology, infectious diseases and IPC will be essential for success.
authors.affiliation: Health Protection Research Unit in Healthcare Associated Infections and Antimicrobial Resistance, Imperial College London, London, UK; INSERM, IAME, UMR 1137, F-75018, Paris, France; AP-HP, Hôpital Bichat - Claude Bernard, Infection Control Unit, Paris, France. Electronic address: gbirgand@gmail.com.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Birgand
authors.affiliation: The Laboratory for Molecular Infection Medicine Sweden, Department of Clinical Microbiology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Johansson
authors.affiliation: National Centre for Epidemiology, Budapest, Hungary.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Szilagyi
authors.affiliation: INSERM, IAME, UMR 1137, F-75018, Paris, France; AP-HP, Hôpital Bichat - Claude Bernard, Infection Control Unit, Paris, France.
authors.forename: J-C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Lucet
mesh_terms: D003428:Cross Infection / Q000517:prevention & control; D006268:Health Facilities; D006801:Humans; D017053:Infection Control / Q000379:methods* / Q000458:organization & administration*; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D012955:Societies, Medical
keywords: Carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii; carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae; glycopeptide-resistant enterococci; guidelines; implementation; infection control; methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus; strict contact precautions