Data generated in health facilities data is essential for driving evidence-based care decisions, sustaining infection prevention and control (IPC) improvements, and ultimately protecting patients from preventable harm.
At three health facilities in Kenya – MP Shah, Machakos County Referral Hospital (MCRH) and Nakuru County Referral Hospital (NCRH), healthcare-associated infection (HAI) monitoring – had been suboptimal, characterized by fragmented tracking and inconsistent reporting. As a result, gaps in care went undetected, limiting opportunities for timely, targeted quality improvement interventions. The paucity of reliable surveillance data made it difficult to understand the true burden of HAIs, to hold systems accountable, or to demonstrate progress over time. To address this critical gap, ICAP, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and with funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), identified the establishment of a structured HAI surveillance approach as a key objective.
In the first half of the project year, a repeat point prevalence survey was successfully conducted across all three facilities, marking a key milestone in strengthening surveillance systems and generating reliable HAI data. The survey demonstrated encouraging progress, particularly at MP Shah Hospital, where notable reductions were observed between 2023 and 2025: pneumonia cases declined from 3 to 0, surgical site infections from 3 to 1, and bloodstream infections from 3 to 0. Across all sites, HAI rates remained low, with only isolated cases reported and no urinary tract infections identified — reflecting measurable improvements in IPC practices driven by the strengthening of facility IPC programmes through ICAP’s support.
This progress was achieved through significant investments in IPC across the participating facilities, with ICAP’s continued technical support playing an instrumental role. This support has spanned the full scope of IPC practice: building the capacity of IPC teams through structured mentorship and on-site coaching; supporting the development and operationalization of IPC policies, standard operating procedures, and monitoring tools; guidance of the implementation of evidence-based bundle interventions; and facilitation of participation in national antimicrobial resistance (AMR) surveillance networks to embed data use within broader quality improvement processes.
At M.P. Shah Hospital, these efforts have contributed to a robust IPC program led by an infectious disease specialist and supported by a dedicated, full-time IPC manager. A functional multidisciplinary IPC committee provides governance and oversight, ensuring sustained focus on quality improvement and routine monitoring of key IPC interventions — including safe insertion and maintenance of intravenous catheters, adherence to transmission-based precautions, effective environmental cleaning, proper disinfection and sterilization of medical equipment, healthcare waste management, and hand-hygiene compliance, including alcohol-based hand rub and soap consumption. This systematic monitoring reinforces accountability among healthcare workers and sustains a culture of continuous improvement.
“Participation in the ICAP-supported national antimicrobial resistance surveillance networks has significantly strengthened our ability to use data for informed decision-making. Coupled with robust infection prevention and control systems and structured surveillance approaches such as point prevalence surveys, we are seeing measurable improvements in patient safety. These efforts not only enhance the quality of care we provide but also position MP Shah Hospital as a model institution for effective infection prevention and control,” said Dr. Vishal Patel, chief medical officer at MP Shah Hospital.
About ICAP
A major global health organization that has been improving public health in countries around the world for two decades, ICAP works to transform the health of populations through innovation, science, and global collaboration. Based at Columbia Mailman School of Public Health, ICAP has projects in more than 40 countries, working side-by-side with ministries of health and local governmental, non-governmental, academic, and community partners to confront some of the world’s greatest health challenges. Through evidence-informed programs, meaningful research, tailored technical assistance, effective training and education programs, and rigorous surveillance to measure and evaluate the impact of public health interventions, ICAP aims to realize a global vision of healthy people, empowered communities, and thriving societies. Online at icap.columbia.edu
