Core competencies for infection prevention and control professionals

Overview

The purpose of this document is to define who is the infection prevention and control (IPC) professional and identify what core competencies are needed to be qualified in this discipline and at what level, that is, junior versus senior. The ultimate goal of this document is to support the achievement of the specific expertise and competencies of IPC professionals needed at country and facility level.

This document can be used as a guide for identifying the needs of health care organizations with regards to IPC professional staff. It can also be used for assessing the training needs of IPC professionals and developing institutional curricula for IPC postgraduate courses/certificates/diplomas in combination with education and training curricula and evaluation tools that may be already in place locally. Furthermore, it can be useful for self-evaluation, performance appraisal, development of tools for knowledge evaluation, and related professional development activities. Finally, it may be used to develop a career path by identifying the needed skills for a junior versus a senior IPC professional.