Fighting infection
Infections, such as Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Clostridium difficile (C-diff), are prevalent in hospitals and other healthcare settings because of the close contact involved in healthcare procedures and the vulnerable nature of the patients.
Improved hygiene, though important, is not the only solution. A culture of over prescribing antibiotics is causing the emergence of new strains of bacteria with increasing resistance.
Approaching the problem
The UKCRC-funded Centre for Infection Prevention and Management (CIPM), based at Imperial College London, is fighting this local and global issue on multiple fronts, including:
- behavioural change - influencing human behaviours related to infection control and antibiotic prescribing
- a network in clinical infection - improving diagnosis and management of infection
- better use of data for surveillance - developing prediction techniques using existing data
education - training the medical workforce
Implementing new ideas has always been a challenge for the NHS. However, the CIPM is at the forefront of understanding how to bridge the gap between research and clinical practice; in 2010 it won a grant for ‘Knowledge Mobilisation and the Adoption of Innovation’, and is also investigating the adoption of new technologies in the NHS.
The centre is able to draw on the extensive knowledge of its partners: the Health Protection Agency, Imperial College Healthcare Trust, the Department of Life Sciences and the Imperial College Business School.
Professor Alison Holmes, Co-Director of the CIPM, Director of Infection for the Trust and an Imperial consultant, feels lucky to be leading a team with such wide ranging and ‘internationally recognised’ expertise.
“The centre has experts in organisational development, health policy and health services research. It also has people who are superb epidemiologists and people with an enormous track record in the laboratory in virulence and pathogenises of microbes. It truly is a unique centre.”
Complementing consultancy
Imperial Consultants is proud to announce that the CIPM recently won a European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control tender, in collaboration with partners in Geneva and Freiburg. Professor Holmes is the lead consultant at Imperial College and will be investigating organisational frameworks for addressing infection prevention in acute healthcare.
“We will be looking for the evidence on what works, what makes effective behavioural change and what sustains it. The World Health Organisation will be drafting recommendations based on our research and findings.”
Professor Holmes, along with many of our consultants, has found that consultancy work complements her day-to-day research.
“My consultancy work is leading to more collaboration, more publications and further grant opportunities, both nationally and internationally.”
If you think your organisation could benefit from the expertise of Professor Holmes and her team, please contact us.
