Introduction

Mental Health Facility Infection Prevention & Control (IPC) focuses on implementing safe, effective infection control practices within psychiatric hospitals, de-addiction centers, and mental health care facilities. These settings present unique IPC challenges due to long patient stays, shared living spaces, behavioral health needs, and limitations on restrictive equipment or environmental controls.

This course emphasizes balancing infection prevention with patient dignity, therapeutic environments, and safety. It equips healthcare teams with practical strategies to reduce infection risks while maintaining continuity of mental health care and compliance with regulatory and accreditation expectations.

Scope

This program covers infection prevention and control practices tailored to mental health facilities, including:

• Unique IPC risks in psychiatric and mental health care settings
• Standard and transmission-based precautions adapted for behavioral health environments
• Hand hygiene, respiratory hygiene, and cough etiquette in shared spaces
• Environmental cleaning and disinfection for wards, therapy rooms, and common areas
• Laundry, linen handling, and waste management in mental health facilities
• Management of outbreaks in long-stay and group care settings
• Safe use of personal protective equipment considering ligature and safety risks
• Staff safety, exposure management, and post-exposure protocols
• Patient education and engagement in infection prevention
• Documentation, surveillance, and reporting in mental health settings

Objectives

By the end of the program, learners will be able to:

• Understand infection risks specific to mental health care environments.
• Apply IPC practices that are safe, non-restrictive, and patient-centered.
• Manage infection prevention in shared and long-stay care settings.
• Support early identification and control of infection clusters or outbreaks.
• Protect healthcare workers while maintaining therapeutic relationships.
• Educate patients and families on basic infection prevention practices.
• Ensure compliance with IPC policies and quality requirements.
• Contribute to safe, respectful, and resilient mental health care services.

Who Can Enroll

This program is suitable for:

• Mental health nurses and psychiatric nursing staff
• Psychiatrists and mental health clinicians
• Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) nurses and officers
• Hospital administrators and facility managers
• Quality and patient safety teams
• Support staff working in psychiatric and behavioral health units
• Healthcare trainees in mental health settings

Study Content from TERRALEAP.COM

Learners receive structured study support through TERRALEAP.COM, including:

• Expert-led videos focused on IPC challenges in mental health facilities
• Scenario-based learning addressing shared spaces and long-stay care
• Guided explanations of patient-centered and safety-adapted IPC practices
• Learning resources designed to support safe and compliant mental health care