On 9 March 2023, the NeoIPC Clinical Practice Network held a webinar titled “Protecting our tiniest patients: Strategies for managing NICU outbreaks”.
The event was a great success, with 78 participants tuning in from 17 countries in Europe, Africa, Asia and Latin America. It brought together healthcare professionals working in NICUs, including neonatologists, neonatal nurses, infection prevention and control specialists, linked through the NeoIPC Clinical Practice Network (CPN).
The main focus of the webinar was an outbreak of carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae that occurred in the neonatal unit of Tygerberg Hospital, South Africa. The real-life outbreak case was presented by Penta ID Network member Angela Dramowski, who is Head of the General Paediatrics Clinical Unit at Tygerberg Hospital, and Professor at the Department of Paediatrics and Child Health at Stellenbosch University, South Africa. The panel discussion was moderated by Julia Bielicki, NeoIPC Scientific Coordinator and Penta AMR Working Group Lead, and Tuuli Metsvaht, Clinical Practice Network Coordinator, and included 7 experts with different backgrounds and approaches, who shared their experiences and tips to manage the outbreak.
The discussion was informative and provided valuable insights into the challenges of managing NICU outbreaks. The panellists highlighted the importance of defining roles and responsibilities for NICU staff members, establishing clear lines of communication, and making resources available to the affected NICU to aid outbreak containment. The webinar also provided an opportunity for the online audience to ask questions to the panellists.
Overall, the webinar successfully brought together healthcare professionals from various settings to discuss strategies for managing NICU outbreaks. The NeoIPC Clinical Practice Network will continue to play a valuable role in promoting best practices in infection prevention and control in NICUs, and more events like this will come in the future for its members.
Click here to download the webinar’s slides, a summary of key points from the panel discussion, and answers to questions from the audience.
How to join the NeoIPC Clinical Practice Network
The NeoIPC Clinical Practice Network (CPN) is an international network of neonatal healthcare professionals, whose aim is to exchange and promote best practices in infection prevention and control in NICUs. The CPN provides an online platform for sharing experiences, ideas, and knowledge, and hosts webinars and workshops to discuss issues related to neonatal infection prevention and control.
If you would like to join the CPN, please fill in this form. Membership is free and open to anyone with an interest in infection prevention and control in neonatal care. By joining, you will receive notifications of upcoming events, webinars, resources and other opportunities to connect with like-minded professionals.
NeoIPC is a project funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 965328. NeoIPC’s aim is to establish innovative approaches for optimal infection prevention of resistant bacteria in NICUs by integrating research, implementation science and surveillance. Penta is the sponsor of the NeoIPC trial. Learn more about NeoIPC: neoipc.org