The Robert Koch Institute (RKI): main building in Berlin. more
Germany’s Public Health institute RKI monitors the population’s health and wellbeing. more
The Robert Koch Institute is the German government's central institution for the identification, surveillance and prevention of infectious diseases in the Portfolio of the German Ministry of Health. more
Partnership to Improve Patient Safety and Quality of Care
Duration: 2023 - 2025
Partner coutnry: Guinea
Partner institutions:
Involved RKI unit: ZIG
Latest updates:
Team meeting in Bouaké, Côte d’Ivoire. Source: RKI
Guinea ranks 178th out of 189 in the Human Development Index and has very limited access to proper sanitation. Low quality of essential health services and care lead to emerging health threats such as antimicrobial resistance, and healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). HAIs are estimated to 10-25%, with data indicating that 40% of these infections could be prevented, starting with better infection prevention and controls (IPC) strategies.
On a national comparison, the Faranah region has among the lowest universal health coverage and the highest maternal and neonatal mortality rates. Given these circumstances, Faranah region is a priority region for public health system strengthening in Guinea, particularly in terms of infection prevention control.
PASQUALE aims at strengthening Guinea’s public health capacity on a regional level by reinforcing existing partnerships and building new partnerships with regional and national stakeholders. PASQUALE builds on a longstanding partnership between the regional hospital in Faranah and the RKI to improve patient safety and quality of care.
Building on previous activities and identified needs, the RKI and the regional ministry of health have joined forces with other regional and national actors to roll-out a sustainable approach to complement, harmonize and coordinate the regional IPC strategy. The overall objectives are: 1) Improved regional networking and coordination, 2) Regional roll-out of a multimodal strategy for IPC capacities building, including the local production of alcohol-based handrub (ABHR), 3) Integration of applied research in a mixed method design to create tailored data for action, 4) New opportunities for digitalization.
The activities are aligned under four packages.
The first one consists of an in-depth regional and thematic partner mapping and gap analysis to finalize a workplan. Regular interdisciplinary exchanges, mentoring and workshops are included alongside.
The second work package will focus on a regional roll-out of a context-specific strategy for IPC capacity building to 3 other prefectural hospitals, as well as the continuing activities at the 5 surrounding health centers, with Faranah Regional Hospital as the main training and mentoring site. This includes a baseline assessment of the healthcare facilities according to the WHO minimum requirements for IPC, a workshop for the conceptualization of ABHR/IPC trainings, a roll-out of ABHR production and distribution and a “train the trainers” approach. There will be a regular onsite supervisions and applied research in a mixed-methods approach for continued monitoring and evaluation.
In work package three, a mixed methods approach will focus on two modules, 1) anthropological research to identify barriers and enablers for sustainable IPC implementation strategies as well as cultural and social practices related to healthcare, 2) pilot-study on postoperative infections after Caesarian section at the Faranah Regional Hospital.
Finally, work package four focuses on establishing an open and easy to use e-health platform to bring together medical care, education and health management with the help of SATMED. This platform could later be utilized to include a pilot-study for surveillance and reporting of HAIs in a feasible high-impact design.
Date: 15.02.2024
