A comparative study of infection prevention and control curricula in nursing master's degree programs worldwide, with practical suggestions for Iran.

Abstract

Background: Emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases, particularly lessons learned from the last coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, have highlighted the importance of infection prevention and control (IPC) plans to battle against these life-threatening diseases. As frontline care providers, nurses must receive specialized training and possess the necessary skills to provide high-quality care to patients in infectious units. For this reason, master's (MSc) degree programs in nursing should incorporate an IPC curriculum to train nurses in this area. This study aimed to compare the IPC curriculums offered by MSc degree programs across the globe and provide recommendations for developing an IPC curriculum in Iran.

Materials and methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional, and comparative study was conducted to collect data on IPC-related curricula, in 2023. The data were obtained through a comprehensive literature search on scientific databases and websites of universities worldwide. All curricula that offered for IPC nursing MSc were included. Data were analyzed according to the Bereday model in four steps, including description, interpretation, juxtaposition, and comparison. The data collection instrument was a researcher-made checklist, which was used to extract data from the included curricula. This checklist consisted of items, which included course title; definition; objectives; implementation strategies; students' evaluation, conditions and admission process, curriculum structure, course length, and type/number of units; expected capabilities, roles, and professional's responsibility of graduates; and basic/optional units.

Results: According to the Bereday model, in the descriptive step, 19 curricula were identified. After interpreting, juxtaposition, and the comparison of their data, three curricula were related to IPC nursing. In other curriculums, the nurses could participate in nursing care with other experts but the content of the programs was not specialized. Expected capabilities of the graduates dealing with five categories of educational abilities, leadership and management, research and data interpretation, knowledge, and executive of basic sciences. The content of the units was three sections, including basic and professional courses and theses. Educational strategies were different in person or virtual and courses were theoretical and practical.

Conclusions: Educational curricula for training IPC nurse specialists are rare in the world. Therefore, given the emergence of infectious diseases and their global burden, designing the IPC curriculum is vital. The curriculum designers of the IPC field in Iran should pay attention to Iran's social, economic, cultural, national, regional, geographical, and international situation.