ETC 05 - Development of a Preliminary Masters of Public Health (MPH)-Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) Competency Framework

Background: There is a need to prioritize the retention and recruitment of Infection Preventionists (IPs) during an era of increasing demand, new regulatory requirements, significant staff turnover, and public-health emergencies. Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) leaders have begun to realize the value of including individuals with diverse backgrounds, including public health, to the traditional IPC team of registered nurses. Subsequently, there is value in evaluating competencies addressed in graduate public health programs (MPH) as they relate to foundational knowledge needed in IP practice.

Methods: Syllabi for core public health courses were requested from all Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) accredited graduate schools of public health (PH). Received syllabi were reviewed and coded for inclusion of IPC concepts. Additionally, competencies, learning objectives, and unit/module topics were identified for potential inclusion of IPC content. A literature review was completed regarding the IP competency model developed by the Association for Professionals in Infection Control, Inc. (APIC) and the Association of Schools of Public Health (ASSPH) Core Competency Model for the MPH degree. Areas of overlap and inclusion were identified and a hybrid competency model was developed.

Results: A proposed MPH-IPC Competency Framework was developed, including the IPC competency domains of leadership, professional stewardship, research, IPC operations, quality improvement, and IPC informatics, as well as the MPH domains of biostatistics, epidemiology, social and behavioral sciences, health policy and management, and environmental health sciences. Patient safety and a continuum of care are incorporated in the framework. Relatedness of these domains is depicted in the graphic representation of the MPH-IPC framework.

Conclusions: Commonalities between ASSPH’s and APIC’s competency models should be emphasized when discussing MPH-IPC program development with stakeholders. This proposed MPH-IPC framework can be used as a tool for discussions regarding the structure and organization of MPH-IPC programs, even if subject to revision.