Veterinary Infection and Prevention through Visualisation (VIPVis): can infection in veterinary practice be reduced by using an educational simulation tool

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a growing issue within veterinary practice. Despite initiatives to address the issue, there remains a need for innovative intervention-based strategies to tackle AMR, with a focus on Infection Prevention and Control (IPC). Appropriate IPC is influenced by our perception of what infection risk is, and how we interact with our surrounding environment. The focus of this study is the application of a simulation tool, Veterinary Infection and Prevention through Visualisation (VIPVis). VIPVis demonstrates the real-life interactions between humans, animals, pathogens, and the veterinary environment making ‘the invisible, visible’, i.e. bacterial contamination, to those using the tool. The aims of the project are to: 1) Evaluate whether use of VIPVis has a positive impact on the behaviours and attitude of veterinary staff towards IPC; and 2) Determine whether this contributes to a lower bacterial burden within veterinary practice, resulting in fewer infections and reduced use of antibiotics. This will be investigated through an intervention utilising the VIPVis App, together with questionnaires for veterinary staff to complete and the collection of environmental swabs from the veterinary practice environment. We hypothesise that VIPVis will increase the implementation of effective IPC measures and reduce the level of microbial contamination throughout the veterinary practice. We predict that this will result in lower levels of infection, decreasing antibiotics used, thus contributing to reducing the emergence of resistance. If successful, the VIPVis tool could provide universal training for veterinary staff and students in veterinary and healthcare settings, thus contributing to improving antimicrobial stewardship.