Sustaining IPC improvements post-COVID-19

Ahead of next weeks IPC Partners journal club which you can register here, we have written a blog on the paper which we will cover, which you can read here.

The COVID-19 pandemic placed IPC at the centre of healthcare but how can we ensure that improvements in IPC are sustained? A qualitative in a large Australian hospital has shed light on the professional and organisational factors that influence IPC and what must change for lasting progress.

The study

The paper is a qualitative research study where researchers interviewed 26 senior clinicians (16 doctors, 10
nurses) from a range of specialties and leadership roles. Using semi-structured interviews, they explored attitudes towards IPC, differences between professions, and the impact on practice. Thematic analysis identified key patterns and barriers.

Key findings

• Persistent stereotypes: Doctors were often seen as independent and sometimes dismissive of IPC rules, while nurses were described as rule-driven and inflexible.
• The “Doctor-Nurse Game”: The classic dynamic where nurses must carefully navigate how they remind doctors about IPC remains. If reminders are perceived as criticism, they may be ignored or provoke a negative response.
• Organisational barriers: Staff redeployment, interrupted surveillance, and variable adherence were common, with some wards excelling and others lagging behind.

What this means for IPC

• Cultural change is essential: Lasting improvement in IPC requires more than policy. Interprofessional respect, open communication, and shared responsibility are vital.
• Empowerment and accountability: All staff should feel able to speak up about IPC, regardless of hierarchy. The authors recommend “empowerment of staff at all levels to remind others, respectfully, of relevant IPC practices; a mechanism to report unprofessional behaviour, without recrimination, and manage staff, irrespective of status, who consistently fail to comply with agreed policies and/or bully others who attempt to enforce them.”
• Visible leadership: Senior clinicians who model good IPC practice and foster collaboration set the tone for their teams.
• An ethical approach: Mutual respect and willingness to negotiate interprofessional differences in knowledge and understanding of IPC policies, including which are most important and effective, how to apply them and whether they can be modified without loss of effectiveness.

Looking forward

COVID-19 has shown that strong IPC can make a measurable difference, but only if it is consistently applied and supported by a culture of collaboration. Embedding these lessons into everyday practice is essential to protect both patients and healthcare workers from future threats.