Analysis of infection prevention and control programs in Ukrainian healthcare institutions providing transplantation services: challenges and priorities

Transplantation services in Ukraine are a rapidly developing area of healthcare. It is important to ensure the implementation of best practices in infection prevention and control (IPC) at the national and institutional levels to minimize the risk of complications. Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) are common adverse event in transplant settings due to the various risk factors patients face, including immunosuppression, long and complex surgical procedures, and a number of other factors. Аim - to analyze the IPC programs in Ukrainian healthcare institutions providing transplantation services. Materials and methods. To assess the implementation of IPC programs at the facility level, a special questionnaire was developed for 31 centers and ten visits were conducted to transplant centers to analyze current practices. Results. The following key components of IPC are best implemented in most hospitals: IPC environment, IPC materials and equipment, IPC guidelines. HAIs surveillance, multimodal strategies, monitoring of IPC practices, and IPC training in most of the transplant centers assessed need improvement. Not all health care facilities have access to 24-hour bacteriological laboratory services. In over 30% of transplant centers, reprocessing of medical equipment is carried out in inadequate conditions. 58% of operating rooms meet ISO (International Organization for Standardization) cleanroom class 6 requirements, 75% of patient rooms meet cleanroom standards. Conclusions. The analysis of the IPC program in Ukrainian healthcare institutions providing transplantation services demonstrated heterogeneity in the implementation of IPC measures and significant challenges that healthcare institutions are facing. Priority areas for the development of the IPC program in transplant centers in Ukraine were identified. No conflict of interests was declared by the authors.