Resources

As a behaviour change strategy, education rarely achieves the desired result when used on its own. It’s ‛necessary but insufficient’ to effect lasting change. In the classic hierarchy of change effectiveness or the ‘action hierarchy’, education ranks as the least effective intervention, below new rules, policies and more system-focused categories such as forcing functions and automation. And yet, in most human services it continues to be the ‘go-to’ response to everything from accreditation recommendations to policy implementation.

One practice the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted from the outset was the importance of hand hygiene in infection prevention and control – a practice that in the past has often been approached with a degree of complacency.  Some of the literature concludes that compliance with hand hygiene has improved during the course of the pandemic, while other studies suggest it has not.

As at July 2022, there were in excess of 642,000 health practitioners registered with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA).  In addition to this cohort, there are also non-registered health professionals who play an essential role in the delivery of care.

Tess Vawser from the Epworth talks through the challenge of implementing a COVID-19 rapid education plan and hospital readiness systems testing across multiple sites.