Infection Prevention and Control Mobile Implementation Officer (MIO)

CONTEXT:

The medical department is based in Brussels with decentralized units or positions in Cape Town, the Southern African Medical Unit (SAMU), in Luxembourg, the Luxembourg Operational Research unit (LuxOR), in Beirut, in Rome and in Rio. The department is composed of members working in the operations department in a dual-matrix system (deputy cell coordinators & medical officers) and experts working in the medical department itself. The experts cover the following domains: anaesthesia & intensive care, antibiotic resistance, capacity building & mentoring for healthcare professionals, change management, chronic non-communicable diseases, data protection & data sharing, emergency medicine & toxicology, emergency preparedness, environmental health, epidemiology, general surgery & orthopaedics, health promotion & anthropology, hepatitis C, HIV, infection prevention & control,…..

The aim of the Medical Department is to improve the quality of MSF interventions in the field. This is done through 3 main activities: direct support to the field (field visits, technical advices etc.), training of MSF medical staff according to defined policies and protocols and support to operational research. The Mobile Implementation Officers (MIO) specifically help field teams with the implementation in the projects.

Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) in MSF:

IPC is a practical, evidence-based approach preventing patients and health care workers from being harmed by avoidable hospital acquired infections and hospital outbreaks. The global increase of microbial multi-drug resistance urges all healthcare facilities to improve on infection prevention and control practices to reduce preventable morbidity, mortality and financial expenditure. An era where patients are colonized or infected with bacteria resistant to all antibiotics is approaching fast and is already present in certain facilities.

IPC within MSF focuses on standardization, simplification, and a focus on what MSF consider “the essentials”. This includes organizational aspects, the hospital environment, ancillary services and diagnostics. But it also includes the three pillars of hand hygiene, cleaning and disinfection (of the environment and reprocessing of reusable medical devices), and transmission-based precautions including appropriate isolation when indicated. The main health care associated infections (HAIs) targeted are surgical site infections and catheter related bloodstream infections.

OBJECTIVE OF THE FONCTION:

Each health care facility needs to develop an infection prevention and control program to ensure quality of care and safety of patients, caretakers and staff. The MIO will assist the health care facilities to ensure correct IPC measures.
This MIO position is based in Lebanon together with the Infectious Disease/Antibiotic Resistance (ABR) referent, the microbiologist, the health promotion referent in the MSF-OCB decentralized medical unit in the branch section MSF Lebanon. By regular contact through skype, videoconference, and visits to Brussels, he/she stays connected to the IPC referent and the operational cells.

This MIO position will be responsible for the implementation support in the following countries: Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Gaza, Lebanon as well as additional countries in Asia or Africa.

JOB DESCRIPTION

Main Task:

Give direct technical assistance and coaching to our teams through short-term (from 3 weeks to 3 months) field interventions for the implementation of infection prevention and control measures in our health care facilities, including:

Specific tasks:

• Assessment of the Infection Prevention and Control situation: organizational aspects, the hospital environment, ancillary services and diagnostics, the three pillars of IPC in MSF: hand hygiene, cleaning and disinfection (of the environment and reprocessing of reusable medical devices), and transmission-based precautions including appropriate isolation when indicated, prevention and surveillance of HAIs

• Elaboration of an Infection Prevention and Control action plan in collaboration with the team and the IPC committee, based on the assessment and prioritization
• Training and coaching of staff to implement, respect and maintain the infection prevention and control measures
• Implement/maintain or improve monitoring and surveillance systems regarding IPC practices and HAIs
• Identification of contact person(s) for post intervention adherence control and follow up
• Provide timely reports after field visits, progress of status and quality of the integration of the IPC activities

Work in between visits on:

• Post intervention follow-up
• Specific technical subjects for operational needs (e.g. updating of protocols, literature search, etc.)
• Support to prepare and give trainings about infection prevention and control
• Participate to Medical Department activities when appropriate (monthly medical department meeting, Coordination week, Bilan & Objectifs medical meetings…)

CANDIDATE PROFILE:

• Diploma in Infection Prevention and Control (or equivalent by experience) is a must
• Practical and hands on experience in Infection Prevention and Control in hospitals is a must
• Strong knowledge of IPC measures regarding antibiotic resistance is a must
• 1 year field experience with MSF (or equivalent) preferred
• Experience in coaching
• Person willing and available to work main of his/her time on the field and at the MSF-OCB headquarter in Lebanon in between missions
• Fluent in French.
• Good command of English.

CONDITIONS:

• Field Contract fixed term 1 year with possibility to extend – Full time position
• Based in Beirut but with frequent field visits (70%)
• Salary according to MSF-OCB Field salary scale
• Starting : ASAP