The A-PRECISE model: An infection prevention and control strategy developed with, by and for end users in residential aged care

<p dir="ltr">Residential aged care is a home, not a hospital. However, policies and practices for preventing and managing infections are typically developed for acute care settings, creating a pressing need for approaches that are tailored to residents, the workforce and the aged care environment. We co-designed with residents, family members and staff, a novel strategy to optimise infection prevention and control (IPC) practices in residential aged care homes (RACHs).</p><p dir="ltr">In the first phase of the co-design process, residents, family members and staff (22) from RACHs were interviewed to explore the facilitators and barriers to effective infection prevention. The findings informed nine face-to-face and online co-design workshops with residents, family members and staff (17) to co-design a strategy for preventing infections in RACHs. The resultant multi-media, multi-modal A-PRECISE (Australia-PReventing infECtions In reSidential agEd care) model was underpinned by three pillars - communication, culture and education. The model delivered action-based messages aligned with a set of overarching principles: that infection prevention helps keep residents safe in their home, it’s everyone’s responsibility, and lots of little things contribute to effective infection prevention practices. The model was piloted across two RACHs in metropolitan Melbourne over four months.</p><p dir="ltr">The A-PRECISE model is designed to support RACHs to take a person-centred approach to IPC, foster learning and engagement, and drive a positive culture where effective IPC practices can thrive. Future research will include implementation and evaluation to examine the impact of the A-PRECISE model.</p>