Other Titles
The Forgotten Vulnerable: Advocating for Emerging Infectious Disease Prevention in Long-Term Care [Symposium Title]
Abstract
Aim: To describe how health and care workers contribute to the prevention of emerging infectious diseases in long-term care facilities.
Design: A scoping review.
Methods: A systematic search of literature dating from 2002 to 2022 was conducted in the following databases: EMBASE, Medline (Ovid), Cochrane Library, CINAHL Plus with Full Text (EBSCOhost), Web of Science, and AgeLine. Studies were selected if they focused on health and care workers in long-term care facilities, offered a perspective on the prevention of emerging infectious diseases or infection prevention and control, and were original qualitative or quantitative studies in English. Data were extracted, cross-checked and analyzed by two researchers, and any difference in views regarding the appropriateness of literature would be resolved by consulting a third researcher. An inductive descriptive approach was applied for the analysis of results, and themes were established via consensus meetings.
Results: A total of fourteen studies from Asia, Europe, and the Americas were included. Three themes emerged from the review: ‘The roles of health and care workers evolve with the times’, ‘The core competencies of health and care workers are essential for preventing emerging infectious diseases in long-term care facilities’ and ‘The key to successful prevention of emerging infectious diseases in long-term care facilities is through a systematic, comprehensive effort that mobilize health and care workers at all levels’. Health and care workers had to take on increasingly complex roles and rely on their core competencies to cope with epidemic changes, and facility resources, employee quality and management model were found to have significantly improved infection prevention and control outcomes.
Conclusions: The roles of health and care workers are evolving, and effective infection prevention within long-term care facilities depends on their ability to perform core competencies with skill and confidence. Moreover, a systematic, comprehensive framework, for which this paper proposes three guidelines, is urgently needed to ensure consistent policy implementation within the facility as well as support and access to resources for health and care workers.
Notes
References:
Chen, W., & Huang, Y. (2020). To Protect Health Care Workers Better, To Save More Lives With COVID-19. Anesthesia and analgesia, 131(1), 97–101.
Houben, F., van Hensbergen, M., Den Heijer, C. D. J., Dukers-Muijrers, N. H. T. M.,& Hoebe, C. J. P. A. (2021). Barriers and facilitators to infection prevention and control in Dutch residential care facilities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities: A theory-informed qualitative study. PloS one, 16(10), e0258701.
International Council of Nurses. (2021). Nurses: A voice to lead - A vision for future healthcare. https://www.icn.ch/system/files/documents/2021-05/ICN%20Toolkit_2021_ENG_Final.pdf
McArthur D. B. (2019). Emerging Infectious Diseases. The Nursing clinics of North America, 54(2), 297–311.
World Health Organization. (2020a). Indicator Metadata Registry: Percentage of older people receiving long-term care at a residential care facility and at home. https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/indicators/indicator-details/MCA/percentage-of-older-people-receiving-long-term-care-at-a-residential-care-facility-and-at-home
Yen, M. Y., Schwartz, J., King, C. C., Lee, C. M., Hsueh, P. R., & Society of Taiwan Long-term Care Infection Prevention and Control (2020). Recommendations for protecting against and mitigating the COVID-19 pandemic in long-term care facilities. Journal of microbiology, immunology, and infection, 53(3), 447–453.
Sigma Membership
Lambda Beta at-Large
Type
Presentation
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Other
Research Approach
Qualitative Research
Keywords:
Long-term Care, Public and Community Health, Policy and Advocacy, Infectious Disease Prevention
Recommended Citation
Kung, Po-Jen; Chen, Ching-Min; and Cheng, Yi-Yuan, "Health and Care Workers’ Roles in Infectious Disease Prevention in Long-Term Care: A Scoping Review" (2025). International Nursing Research Congress (INRC). 299.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/inrc/2025/presentations_2025/299
Conference Name
36th International Nursing Research Congress
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Seattle, Washington, USA
Conference Year
2025
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record.
Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Health and Care Workers’ Roles in Infectious Disease Prevention in Long-Term Care: A Scoping Review
Seattle, Washington, USA
Aim: To describe how health and care workers contribute to the prevention of emerging infectious diseases in long-term care facilities.
Design: A scoping review.
Methods: A systematic search of literature dating from 2002 to 2022 was conducted in the following databases: EMBASE, Medline (Ovid), Cochrane Library, CINAHL Plus with Full Text (EBSCOhost), Web of Science, and AgeLine. Studies were selected if they focused on health and care workers in long-term care facilities, offered a perspective on the prevention of emerging infectious diseases or infection prevention and control, and were original qualitative or quantitative studies in English. Data were extracted, cross-checked and analyzed by two researchers, and any difference in views regarding the appropriateness of literature would be resolved by consulting a third researcher. An inductive descriptive approach was applied for the analysis of results, and themes were established via consensus meetings.
Results: A total of fourteen studies from Asia, Europe, and the Americas were included. Three themes emerged from the review: ‘The roles of health and care workers evolve with the times’, ‘The core competencies of health and care workers are essential for preventing emerging infectious diseases in long-term care facilities’ and ‘The key to successful prevention of emerging infectious diseases in long-term care facilities is through a systematic, comprehensive effort that mobilize health and care workers at all levels’. Health and care workers had to take on increasingly complex roles and rely on their core competencies to cope with epidemic changes, and facility resources, employee quality and management model were found to have significantly improved infection prevention and control outcomes.
Conclusions: The roles of health and care workers are evolving, and effective infection prevention within long-term care facilities depends on their ability to perform core competencies with skill and confidence. Moreover, a systematic, comprehensive framework, for which this paper proposes three guidelines, is urgently needed to ensure consistent policy implementation within the facility as well as support and access to resources for health and care workers.
Description
Overall Symposium Summary: Emerging infectious diseases pose severe risks to long-term care institutions due to resource constraints and resident vulnerabilities. This national four-phase study addresses these risks: Phase One defines key roles in infection prevention; Phase Two develops a competency instrument for frontline workers; and Phases Three and Four explore barriers and facilitators in infection control. This research urges policy action, presenting a globally adaptable model to strengthen care institutions.
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