PhD Defence Mitch van Hensbergen

Keywords: Infectious disease control, long-term facilities, antimicrobial resistance, COVID-19
 

"Improving infectious disease control in care facilities Studies on infection prevention, antimicrobial resistance and COVID-19"

This thesis examines three infection prevention challenges: behaviour, COVID-19 and antimicrobial resistance.

For infection prevention behaviour, residential care centres for people with intellectual disabilities and developmental disorders and psychiatric institutions were examined. Although there is overlap between these healthcare sectors, there is no suitable one-size-fits-all approach: multi-level strategies will need to be implemented to promote and sustain infection prevention behaviours.

The COVID-19 pandemic has shown that border regions face additional challenges because they have to consider the situation across the border. In addition, it appears that symptoms for male and female nursing home residents can also be non-specific, such as subfertility and fatigue. It is also discussed whether viral load can help determine infection prevention policy.

Finally, the presence of antimicrobial resistance within nursing homes and daycare centres in the border regions of the Netherlands and Belgium is examined. Although differences have been found in

antimicrobial resistance between Belgium and the Netherlands, these differences do not seem to be explained by the infection prevention policies.

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