A Day In The Life Of An APIC Board Member

I am thrilled to formally announce my candidacy for the 2009 APIC Elections.  Growing up in the suburbs of Sydney, Australia in the early sixties I could never have imagined the wonderful and rich life that lay ahead. With good support from a loving family, fantastic partner and precious friends many great opportunities have been available to me. Few are as exciting, challenging and rewarding as the potential opportunity to  work with the APIC members and leaders as an elected President. The APIC Nominating and Awards Committee and Board of Directors have endorsed my candidacy and elections typically begin in early September. As for all elections candiates are faced against each other. In this case whilst I don’t personally know the other candidate, Pat Kulich, we have exchanged several warm e-mails. I wish Pat the very best in her efforts to lead APIC and I celebrate that our organisation is fortunate to have two strong and committed members to select as potential Presidents. Far better than not having enough.  2008 will be an interesting year for electing officials in America. I hope that the APIC election adds to that interest and who knows it could be the year that previous trends are overturned. Are we ready for a non-US APIC President, I sure hope so. For your interest my philosophy and biography as they will appear on the slate are reproduced below. Good voting and best of luck to Pat.

Biographical ProfileAssociate Professor Cathryn L Murphy RN, MPH, PhD, CIC, MRCNA, holds an academic position in the Faculty of Health Services and Medicine, Bond University, Australia. In 1995-96 she was the elected President of the Australian Infection Control Association and subsequently a Founding member of the Asia Pacific Society for Infection Control (APSIC). She is currently serving a second term as the only active non-North American member of the APIC Board. Dr. Murphy’s career highlights include working in the Division of Healthcare Quality and Infection Prevention at the CDC, Georgia, USA in 2000 and for WHO throughout Southeast Asia during the height of the 2003 SARS Outbreak. She managed the largest state government HAI Prevention and Control Program in Australia from 1997 until December 2004 with programmatic responsibility for more than 200 hospitals. She is currently an independent, international consultant. In 2006 WHO invited Cath to join its Infection Control Expert Advisory Network. In 2007, the Australian Commission for Safety and Quality in Healthcare invited her to chair their Infection Control Implementation Committee. This committee is similar in function and reach to the USA’s HICPAC Committee. Widely published, Dr. Murphy is a member of the Editorial Boards of the Australian, American and IFIC Journals of Infection Control. She delivers provocative and powerful presentations with respect, humor and compassion. Personally Cath is a novice but committed tri-athlete. She subscribes to the philosophy “Love what you do and do what you love”, hence her long-term commitment to infection prevention. Her “Life is Good” and she dreams of global infection prevention harmonization.

Philosophy Statement

Although infection prevention drivers and practices vary greatly between countries ICPs around the world face similar opportunities and challenges. Imagine a world where ICPs worked in global harmony. A world where infection prevention success and innovations are celebrated. Where infection prevention frustrations are heard, criticisms acknowledged and improvements introduced. A world where like-organizations cooperate to provide safer care and much needed education. A world where healthcare workers are afforded their rightful protections against infectious disease. A world where governments, payors, corporations and citizens recognize APIC members as the world’s leading source of infection prevention expertise and capacity. As APIC members we can craft and nurture this world. It is the natural progression of an organization whose membership has invested the last forty years in refining our work, progressing our achievements and empowering our profession. As APIC President I will help the membership realize this world domestically in the USA and abroad.

 Having worked as an ICP in several different continents and across a range of settings – clinical, government, academic and commercial, I will continue to bring unique perspectives and new offerings to the APIC table. Moreover I will continue to respect and celebrate APIC’s rich history, the legacies of its previous leaders and the consolidation of its bright future. Most importantly, through cautious leadership and thoughtful succession planning I will endeavor to ensure the APIC organization, its Board and its staff continue to understand and meet the many needs of its current and future members. North American APIC has made a difference. Global APIC can make a bigger difference. Electing Cath Murphy as your first non-North American APIC President is more than just a symbolic gesture. It marks the beginning of a new global era for APIC. Visit www.cmurphy.com.au to learn more about my commitment to the APIC membership. 

I am always amazed at how much we can learn from children. Some how in the innocence of their years and their ability to resist some of the challenges we face as adults like group think, peer group pressure, stress and deadlines children can make fantastic role models. There is a lot that modern healthcare could learn from watching kids’ behaviours.

Yesterday I spent the day teaching nurses the fundamentals of infection prevention. The course was run in Brisbane by AUSMED (www.ausmed.com.au) and it’s one that Sue Resnik and I teach at least twice a year. Yesterday’s group were all nurses. Our common goal was to be better at infection prevention at the end of the day compared to the beginning. Throughout the day we had a few good laughs as experiences were recounted and stories shared. Here is my favourite story of the day told to me by a very proud Grandmother working in infection prevention.

Last month this Grandmother’s 6 year old Grandson came to visit Brisbane and the Gold Coast from his home in Auckland, New Zealand. The little boy’s holiday included the sights of Brisbane city and no doubt some of thefun things for kids here on the Coast like Movie World, Sea World, Dreamworld and perhaps even a spot of whale or dolphin watching from one of our gorgeous beaches.

At some stage of his holiday the young boy watched his Grandmother pull out of her pocket and use an alcohol based hand gel, the domestic type not our hospital product. The hand gel fascinated the little boy and he asked his Grandmother to explain what she was doing, what the purpose of the gel was and what did she hope to achieve. (Imagine someone being that interested in hand hygiene – an Infection Preventionist’s dream). Like a good Grandmother she explained about germs and antisepsis and the grandchild was delighted when he had the opportunity to first use the product.

Wind forward a few weeks and the little fella returns to Auckland and attends school. It’s show and tell day and the little boy stands up in front of his peers and he proceeds to tell about the best part of his holiday to Australia. You guessed it. No mention is made of the theme parks, the beaches or any of the other tourist attractions here in Queensland. Rather the 6-year old proceeds to tell all his class mates about the gel and then he demonstrates how to use it for them and tells them why it’s important to perform hand hygiene regularly. The kids are riveted and the teacher pleased and amused.

Our young recruit is very special, part of a Gifted and Talented class at his local school. Not surprisingly he ends his “show and tell” recommending that the class immediately institute a “gel-based hand hygiene programme” (my words not his). What he managed to design and achieve was the implementation of a bracket and a large bottle of gel which each child uses befre leaving the classroom for each of their play and meal breaks. The kids love the gel and use it with passion.

Your typical infection preventionist might be happy to stop at this point but your above average 6-year old isn’t. Enjoying the success of his program he goes to the administrator (school principal) puts forward his business case and requests that every classroom be supplied with a gel bottle and each student encouraged to use the gel before every break. The principal loves the idea and the school is now probably one of the most hand hygiene conscience of any in the Southern hemisphere.

What a great and inspiring story. Who says that one small boy with one bright idea and one switched on Grandma can’t make a difference? In 30 years time when I’m older and probably consuming healthcare along with the other Boomers I want this boy to be the Infection Preventionist keeping me safe. Move over Semmelweis the kids are coming through.

For more information on global hand hygiene promotion visit http://www.who.int/gpsc/tools/en/ or www.apic.org Australia is in the early stages of launching its national hand hygiene campaign. I wonder if they have room for a 6-year old Project Director.

 The photo on this page with my best mate Dee (far left) and friend Justine (far right) was taken in November 2007 minutes before we competed in the annual Noosa Triathalon. It was my first Olympic distance triathalon and represented a pinnacle of the past 18 months when I radically reviewed my lifestyle and health. There were multiple drivers and compelling circumstances that initiated the lifestyle changes. Throughout it all I have been and continue to be well supported and encouraged by wonderful friends and a great group of fellow fitness enthusiasts who coincidentally happen to be great coffee drinkers. Interestingly, I’ve noticed a direct parallel between increases in my physical fitness and increases in my professional growth and the career opportunities which have presented themselves.

Fighting infections and contributing effectively to a professional association like APIC requires enormous commitment and dedication. Planning is also critically important. Clarifying your vision, determining your mission and setting goals enables you to stay focussed and to gauge the effectiveness with which you are influencing behaviours and contributing to a safer patient care environment. They are critical elements of a succesful Infection Prevention program. Imagine then my amazement when I realised that achieving fitness and a healthy lifestyle and sustaining that lifestyle requires exactly the same skillset. The realisation was blinding and now seems so obvious.

Most days for me start with an exercise session. Typically it’s a ride or a run or a swim. Which activity it is is pre-planned according to a set program devised for me by an expert who also happens to be a great friend and a source of endless inspiration. Surrounding yourself with inspiring people who have expertise different to your own  is another strategy that can help goal achievement. However, just having a program and being inspired is not enough, there comes that critical time each morning when it’s easier and much more tempting to roll over rather than to get up and hit the road or the pool. Staying focussed and staying motivated are good tools to keep you on the path at this point. Just like taking regular exercise, staying focussed on preventing infections is really tough these days especially when healthcare systems all around the world are underresourced and typically understaffed. How do you get around it? Well one way is to just keep thinking of your goals and asking yourself if the work you are doing is consistent with those goals. Does it get you closer or further to them? Being prepared and having contingencies is another good strategy. Think about possibilities. What would you do if all of a sudden the Chief Executive Officer of your hospital who was a long term supporter of your Infection Prevention program announced his/ her retirement? Would your program fold or flourish? If an outbreak of some dreaded disease hit your hospital how would you cope? If you had good contingencies in place you would survive and in planning those contingenices you are setting yourself up for success not failure.

So in these few mixed but hopefully wise words of the day I hope I’ve started you thinking about new ways to increase your Fitness To Fight Infections, it’s probably the biggest Marathon you will ever face. Stay tuned for more updates as the Australian season of Summer sports rolls out! Google Noosa Triathalon 2008 if you have an interest in triathalons, but most importantly - keep up your personal and professional fitness, it’s really really important.   

Last week my partner and my Mum both had cataract surgery. While it’s been a time for bad jokes and references to “the blind leading the blind” and “two blind mice” etc it was also a time when I realised how critically important the work we do day in and day out is. I can only imagine what it must be like to have someone you care about develop an infection as a result of consuming health care. For the patient I am sure there is a sense of overwhelming frustration and anguish.

Fortunately in my case both patients are doing well and to date there is no sign of infection in either of their eyes. Strict instructions have been given regarding the importance of hand hygiene and good technique for administering the eye drops. Of course it helps that unlike years ago when cataract patients were brought into hospital the night before surgery and spent the first 24 post operative hours with their head immobilised between two sandbags, patients these days are in and out of the day procedure centre within about 3 hours. It’s a remarkable advancement in surgical technique and management. The less exposure to the health care environment the less opportunity for infection spread, and hey who knows what potentially pathogenic organisms might have been lurking in those sandbags.

So for all of you who have ever consumed healthcare or supported friends or family through the journey three cheers for infection-free outcomes and as always heres to hand hygiene and all things aspetic. 

I would really value the opportunity to meet with as many APIC members as possible and to include you in my personal network. During the upcoming APIC meeting in Denver I will be wearing an ASK ME WHY badge. On Sunday 15th June from 5:00pm to 8:00pm I will be just inside the entrance of exhibit Hall C at the Presidents Opening Reception & Exhibit Hall Opening. Please say “hi” and more importantly let’s talk about your visions for APIC and how APIC can better serve you and your Chapter. If there is an alternative time that suits you better please either call me during APIC on 404 406 9085 or send me an e-mail any time to cmurp@icp.au.com I look forward to meeting you soon.