Journal
The Journal of Hospital Infection (Editor Dr Jenny Child) is the Official Journal of the Healthcare Infection Society and is published on its behalf by Elsevier. JHI is published on a monthly basis and is a comprehensive and up to date reference in hospital and healthcare infection control (2010 impact factor, 3.078). See www.journalofhospitalinfection.com.
Meetings and courses
Every two years the Society runs a major international conference, the most recent of these being the HIS 2010 Conference held in Liverpool on 10-13 October 2010. In addition, the Society regularly organises seminars and Training Days for SpRs and collaborates with other medical societies to run joint events.
The Diploma in Hospital Infection Control (DipHIC) was established by the Hospital Infection Society (HIS), the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and the Laboratory of HealthCare Associated Infection (LHCAI) in October 1997. From September 2011 a new MSc and Postgraduate Diploma in Healthcare Infection Control will be available from UCL in association with HIS and HPA.
HIS runs two week-long courses in conjunction with HPA: Infection Control and Related Studies, and Engineering Aspects of Infection Control. These can be attended individually or as part of the Masters and Diploma course.
Support for research and clinical practice
HIS believes that good science underpins good clinical practice, and views the support of research in the field of infection control in healthcare as being a vital component of its work, and it maintains a designated fund from which it can support research projects within this field. The Society makes available grants for both small scale projects (up to £10,000), which are awarded twice a year, and major projects (up to £33,000 per annum for 1 – 3 years), which are awarded once a year. The Society also provides the Mike Emmerson Young Investigator Award (up to £10,000), which was established for trainees who are medical graduates, nurses, clinical scientists or bio-medical scientists, and Travel Grants which are primarily intended to enable trainees and junior members of staff to attend meetings of educational benefit, particularly if work is to be presented.
The Society provides input to national and other bodies on infection control and produces documents or guidelines, often from Working Parties, on the management and prevention of specific infections, e.g. MRSA, and on specific containment measures, e.g. disinfection and sterilization.
The Society’s undertook the 3rd National Prevalence Survey of HCAIs in Acute Hospitals on behalf of the Department of Health, which was completed in 2008.
Helping developing countries
HIS is keen to support infection control training in developing countries throughout the world. This support can take the form of specialist lectures, workshops and practical sessions. In 2005 HIS sponsored a group to visit Sri Lanka to discuss, in particular, infection control and operating theatres; in 2007 HIS sponsored a small group to visit Kosovo to assist with the decontamination and sterilisation programme currently in its infancy.
If your hospital/institution would benefit from expert training and you wish to apply to HIS for support, please submit a short report outlining the work currently taking place in your country together with the level of support required. (Please send to: Sue Hollinshead, Healthcare Infection Society, 162 King's Cross Road, London WC1X 9DH or email sue.hollinshead@his.org.uk.)
