Challenges and barriers to infection prevention and control practice in the hospital of Lahore, Pakistan: A qualitative study

Objective The study aimed to examine the problems and impediments to infection prevention and control (IPC) practices among healthcare workers in a tertiary care teaching hospital in Lahore, Pakistan. Materials and Methods A qualitative phenomenological study was conducted among 14 healthcare workers recruited through purposive sampling from multiple healthcare facilities in Lahore, Pakistan. Participants included physicians, nurses, and hospital management personnel with direct experience in patient care, healthcare delivery, hospital management, or infection prevention and control (IPC) practices. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted through face-to-face and online approaches. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed thematically. Two researchers independently reviewed the transcripts, and differences in interpretation were resolved through discussion and consensus. Results Three key themes emerged: institutional barriers, management-related barriers, and barriers related to healthcare workers. Some of the institutional constraints were overcrowding, lack of resources, inadequate infrastructure, poor policy implementation, and funding constraints. Management-related barriers were poor supervision and auditing, staffing and workload, unclear guidelines, and lack of a culture of safety. Factors affecting the healthcare workers included non-compliance, lack of knowledge, stress and exhaustion, and overconfidence in experienced workers. Conclusion The paper then concludes that interrelated institutional, management, and individual-level barriers impact infection prevention and control practices. There is a need to enhance IPC compliance and minimize hospital-acquired infections through improvement in infrastructure, proper staffing, enhanced supervision, and continuous training.