Implementation of the Infection prevention and infection control program at the level of healthcare facility in Donetsk and Luhansk regions in 2021-2022 and prospects for recovery in the post-war period

The aim of the work was to assess the implementation of the Infection prevention and control (IPC) program and water supply, sanitation and hygiene programs in healthcare facilities in Donetsk and Luhansk regions and to assess the further development of these programs in the regions. Materials and methods. To evaluate the implementation of the IPC program in health care institutions of Donetsk and Luhansk regions and to analyze the main trends and priority directions for the development of infection prevention programs at the level of health care facilities (HCF), two rounds of comprehensive evaluation of the IPC program at the level of health care facilities were conducted in 2021 and 2022 using the Infection prevention and control assessment framework (IPCAF) and Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH FIT) tools. The assessment results showed that the implementation of the IPC in 11 HCF in Donetsk and Luhansk regions is at the basic level and in 6 HCF at an insufficient level (<200 points), the average value is 220,7 points, (95% confidence interval (CI 95%) 191.9 - 249.6 points). The least implemented component was Epidemiological surveillance for healthcare-associated infections (HAI) - 7.8 points (CI 95%: 2.6-13.0), Multimodal strategies - 10.6 points (CI 95%: 8.6-12.5) and IPC Monitoring - 18.1 (CI 95%: 14.0 - 22.2). The most implemented components of the IPC were the IPC Infrastructure 53.7 points (95% CI: 46.3 - 61.1). The assessment of water supply, sanitation and hygiene services showed similar results of the implementation of these services in the HCF of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, the average indicator was 52% (95% CI: 49.9-54.4). The most implemented were Energy Supply - 80% (95% CI: 74.7 - 84.9) and Water Supply - 69% (95% CI: 64.1-73.6). Conclusions. The evaluation of the IPC program at the level of the HCF in 2021-2022 in Donetsk and Luhansk regions showed that the majority of HCF had a basic (64%) or insufficient level of implementation of IPC (36% of institutions). Implementation of water, sanitation and hygiene services was at the level of 49,9-54,4% of the recommended level. The conducted assessment helped to form the priority directions of the development of the IPC program in HCFs, particularly in the context of post-war reconstruction. The author declares no conflict of interest.