International Infection Control Training Partnerships: Experiences from the Egypt-University of Louisville Collaboration

Abstract

Background: Healthcare-associated infection (HAI) is a global challenge that represent opportunities for international collaboration. Both the United States and Egypt prioritize HAI reduction as activities of public health importance. These shared priorities provide a foundation for interactive education and training. Objective: In fall 2018, The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) sought a US training site where a delegation of physicians and nurses from Egypt could receive experiential training regarding HAI and prevention. The objectives of this review are to: 1) outline the training components used for the US-Egypt collaboration held at the University of Louisville in Kentucky; 2) describe the immersive and experiential approaches used to promote interprofessional education in infection control; and 3) identify some of the successes and challenges of this cultural and practice collaboration. Methods: The course curriculum consisted of a 10-day agenda that provided classroom training, live simulation, role-playing, and healthcare facility visits all supporting immersive and experiential learning. Evaluation methods were based upon Kirkpatrick’s Model and included individual selfassessments, daily course evaluations, a summative course evaluation, pre-and post-course testing, and action learning plans. Results: The Egyptian cohort consisted of twenty-six physicians and nurses representing twenty-six different healthcare facilities across the country. Participants rated the course highly but had a strong desire for more interactive experiences at the hospitals. Comparing preand post-course knowledge, overall knowledge improved in both the physician and nurse groups. Conclusions: Results from this collaboration demonstrate an ability to provide an organized infection prevention and control training course that reached the University of Louisville team goals and met the stated expectations of the course sponsors. Both the University of Louisville team and the Egyptian delegation indicated that a longer planning horizon would have been beneficial. DOI: 10.18297/rgh/vol2/iss2/11 Submitted Date: April 18, 2019 Accepted Date: April 18, 2019 Website: https://ir.library.louisville.edu/rgh Affiliations: 1University of Louisville Global Health Program, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, KY, US, 40202 2University of Louisville School of Nursing, Louisville, KY, US, 40202 This original article is brought to you for free and open access by ThinkIR: The University of Louisville’s Institutional Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in the Journal of Refugee & Global Health by an authorized editor of ThinkIR. For more information, please contact thinkir@louisville.edu. Recommended Citation: Aboelnasr, Amr; Tahboub, Mohammad; Balcom, Dawn; Roser, Lynn; Furmanek, Stephen P.; and Carrico, Ruth. (2019) “International Infection Control Training Partnerships: Experiences from the EgyptUniversity of Louisville Collaboration,” Journal of Refugee & Global Health: Vol. 2 : Iss. 2, Article 11.