Department: Infection Prevention & Control / Quality
Reporting To: Nursing Head / Infection Control Officer / Medical Superintendent
Works With: Infection Control Committee, Doctors, Nursing, Microbiology, Laboratory, Pharmacy, Housekeeping, CSSD, Quality and Administration
- Job Purpose The Infection Control Nurse is responsible for implementing, monitoring and continuously improving infection prevention and control practices throughout the hospital.
The ICN will conduct infection-control surveillance, departmental rounds and audits, monitor healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), support outbreak investigation, conduct staff training and maintain all required infection-control documentation.
- Key ResponsibilitiesA. Infection Control Surveillance
- Conduct regular infection-control rounds across all clinical and non-clinical departments.
- Monitor and document healthcare-associated infections.
- Track:
- SSI
- CAUTI
- CLABSI
- VAP
- Blood-borne infections
- Needle-stick injuries
- Other relevant hospital infection indicators.
- Identify infection trends and report significant findings.
- Maintain infection-control surveillance registers and databases.
Prepare audit reports and communicate non-conformities to the concerned department.
C. Outbreak Investigation
- Immediately report suspected outbreaks.
- Assist the Infection Control Officer/Committee in outbreak investigation.
- Identify possible sources and modes of transmission.
- Coordinate specimen collection and laboratory investigations.
- Recommend corrective and preventive measures.
- Monitor implementation of outbreak-control measures.
D. Hand Hygiene & PPE Compliance
- Conduct regular hand-hygiene audits.
- Monitor compliance with the hospital's hand-hygiene policy.
- Educate staff regarding the WHO/standard hand-hygiene principles.
- Monitor appropriate PPE selection and usage.
- Identify gaps and initiate corrective action.
Training topics may include:
- Standard precautions
- Transmission-based precautions
- Hand hygiene
- PPE
- Biomedical waste management
- Needle-stick injury management
- Spill management
- Sterilization/disinfection
- Isolation procedures
- Occupational exposure
- Environmental cleaning.
Current ICN roles commonly include orientation and ongoing education of nursing, paramedical and housekeeping staff.
F. Biomedical Waste Management
- Monitor correct segregation at source.
- Conduct periodic BMW audits.
- Ensure availability of appropriate colour-coded bins/bags.
- Monitor collection, transportation and disposal.
- Coordinate with housekeeping and authorized waste-management agencies.
- Report non-compliance.
G. Sterilization & Disinfection
- Monitor sterilization practices in CSSD and clinical areas.
- Verify appropriate cleaning and disinfection practices.
- Monitor sterilization indicators and records.
- Coordinate with CSSD regarding infection-control concerns.
- Ensure corrective action for identified gaps.
H. Needle-Stick Injury / Occupational Exposure
- Maintain needle-stick injury register.
- Ensure immediate reporting and appropriate first response.
- Coordinate with concerned clinical departments for assessment.
- Ensure appropriate investigations and follow-up.
- Maintain confidential documentation.
I. Documentation & Reporting
Maintain
- Infection-control surveillance register
- HAI register
- Hand-hygiene audit reports
- PPE audit reports
- BMW audit reports
- Environmental-cleaning audit
- Sterilization audit
- Needle-stick injury register
- Outbreak investigation reports
- Infection-control training records
- Departmental audit reports
- CAPA records
- Infection Control Committee meeting records
- Monthly IPC reports.
J. Quality & NABH Compliance
- Support implementation of hospital infection-control policies.
- Maintain evidence required for NABH/quality audits.
- Participate in internal and external audits.
- Track infection-control KPIs.
- Support RCA and CAPA for infection-related incidents.
- Ensure compliance with applicable hospital, statutory and regulatory requirements.
K. Infection Control Committee
- Participate in Infection Control Committee meetings.
- Prepare relevant reports and presentations.
- Present surveillance and audit findings.
- Follow up on decisions taken by the committee.
- Monitor completion of corrective actions.
- B.Sc Nursing / Post Basic B.Sc Nursing / GNM
- Valid nursing registration
- Diploma/Certificate in Infection Prevention & Control preferred.
Current ICN vacancies in Kerala commonly specify B.Sc Nursing/GNM together with infection-control training and relevant experience.
- Experience
- 1–3 years of clinical nursing experience, preferably with experience in Infection Prevention & Control.
- Previous ICN experience preferred.
- Hospital experience in NABH-accredited facilities is an advantage.
6. Skills Required
- Strong knowledge of Infection Prevention & Control
- Knowledge of NABH infection-control requirements
- Audit and surveillance skills
- Good documentation skills
- Training and presentation skills
- Data analysis and reporting
- Good communication and interpersonal skills
- Ability to coordinate with multiple departments
- Attention to detail
- Ability to identify infection-control risks and initiate corrective action.
7. Authority & Accountability The ICN is accountable for:
- Timely infection surveillance
- Reporting infection-control concerns
- Conducting scheduled audits
- Staff awareness and training
- Maintaining IPC documentation
- Escalating significant infection-control risks
- Following up on CAPA
- Supporting the Infection Control Committee.
Note: The ICN does not independently make clinical treatment decisions and should escalate clinical/infection-management decisions to the appropriate physician, Infection Control Officer or Infection Control Committee.