Qi-Fen Min, Xiao-Wen Gong, Zhi-Ping Qi, Jian-Shui Yang

Department of Infection Management, Changzhou Cancer Hospital, Changzhou, Jiangsu Province, 213032, People’s Republic of China

Correspondence: Jian-Shui Yang, Department of Infection Management, Changzhou Cancer Hospital, No. 68 of Red River Road, Xinqiao District, Changzhou, Jiangsu Province, 213032, People’s Republic of China, Tel +8618861452356, Fax +860519-69807240, Email yang_jianshui@126.com

Objective: To develop an assessment Framework for improving the competence of professional nurses in infection prevention and control within a regional medical community, and to evaluate the effectiveness of this system.
Methods: Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) was used to determine the weights of each index. An evaluation index system was established with 3 primary indexes, 9 secondary indexes, and 28 tertiary indexes, based on expert input and guidelines. The assessment framework for infection prevention competence was then implemented in 20 professional nurses from the regional medical community, who received standardized training from January 2018 to December 2023.
Results: The cumulative weights assigned to the primary indexes were 0.463, 0.317, and 0.220. For the secondary indexes, weights ranged from 0.025 to 0.293, and for the tertiary indexes, weights ranged from 0.003 to 0.100. After standardized training, the total competence score in infection prevention and control of nurses significantly increased from 79.50 to 89.75 (P < 0.001). The number of nurses with a bachelor degree increased from 7 to 20 (P < 0.001), and those with intermediate or higher professional titles rose from 7 to 20 (P = 0.010). The number of nurses holding provincial and municipal IPC certificates also significantly increased.
Conclusion: The study successfully developed a scientifically robust evaluation system for the competence in infection prevention and control among professional nurses. Standardized training significantly enhanced nurses’ capabilities, highlighting the importance of tailored training programs and continuous improvement of evaluation systems to meet evolving requirements.

Keywords: competency of infection prevention and control, evaluation system, hierarchical analysis, homogenized training, professional nurses in medical communities