Introduction
Outbreak Investigation & Management focuses on equipping healthcare professionals with the knowledge and skills to detect, investigate, and contain healthcare-associated infection (HAI) outbreaks. Rapid identification and response are critical to minimize patient harm, protect healthcare workers, and prevent widespread transmission within healthcare facilities.
This course emphasizes evidence-based strategies for outbreak detection, epidemiological investigation, containment measures, and post-outbreak evaluation. Learners gain practical insights into structured outbreak management, enabling healthcare facilities to maintain safety, compliance, and quality standards.
Scope
This program covers infection control practices and outbreak management strategies, including:
- Principles of outbreak identification and epidemiology
- Surveillance and early warning systems for HAIs
- Investigation techniques: case definition, line listing, and data collection
- Laboratory coordination and pathogen confirmation
- Contact tracing and risk assessment
- Implementation of containment measures and isolation protocols
- Communication strategies with staff, patients, and leadership
- Environmental cleaning, disinfection, and decontamination
- Monitoring outbreak control measures and evaluating effectiveness
- Documentation, reporting, and compliance with regulatory standards
Objectives
By the end of the program, learners will be able to:
- Recognize and define healthcare-associated infection outbreaks
- Conduct structured outbreak investigations using epidemiological tools
- Implement effective containment, isolation, and environmental control measures
- Coordinate with laboratory, clinical, and administrative teams during outbreaks
- Communicate effectively with staff, patients, and leadership regarding outbreak status
- Monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of outbreak response interventions
- Ensure compliance with reporting requirements and accreditation standards
- Promote a culture of preparedness and rapid response in healthcare facilities
Who Can Enroll
This program is suitable for:
- Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) nurses and officers
- Hospital epidemiologists and infection control committee members
- Quality and patient safety teams
- Laboratory personnel involved in pathogen identification
- Physicians, residents, and clinical staff in high-risk units
- Healthcare administrators overseeing outbreak preparedness and response
Study Content from TERRALEAP.COM
Learners receive structured study support through TERRALEAP.COM, including:
- Expert-led videos on outbreak detection, investigation, and containment
- Scenario-based learning covering real-life HAI outbreak situations
- Guided explanations of epidemiological tools, data collection, and analysis
- Learning resources designed to reinforce structured, evidence-based outbreak management