Infection prevention and control (IPC) is the practical, evidence-based approach that prevents patients and health workers from being harmed by avoidable infections. In 2016, the World Health Organization published its Guidelines on core components of IPC programmes, which set out eight components every acute hospital needs. They remain the most widely used framework for building and assessing an IPC programme.
The case for getting them right is strong. WHO's first global report on IPC (2022) found that out of every 100 patients in acute-care hospitals, 7 in high-income countries and 15 in low- and middle-income countries acquire at least one healthcare-associated infection, and that good IPC programmes can prevent up to 70% of them.
Below, each core component is explained in plain language with a short checklist you can use to review your own hospital.
1. IPC programme
Every acute hospital needs an active IPC programme with a dedicated, trained team, clear objectives and a budget. It should report to senior leadership through a Hospital Infection Control Committee (HICC). WHO's minimum requirements for IPC programmes call for a trained IPC professional with dedicated time, and the core components guidance points to at least one full-time IPC professional for every 250 beds.
- Is there a named IPC lead and a dedicated IPC nurse or team with protected time?
- Does the HICC meet regularly, with minutes, actions and named owners?
- Is there an annual IPC work plan with measurable objectives and a budget?
2. IPC guidelines
Hospitals need evidence-based guidelines adapted to local conditions. These include standard and transmission-based precautions, aseptic technique, device care bundles, decontamination and sterilisation, and outbreak management.
- Are guidelines current, reviewed on schedule and based on national or international guidance?
- Are they easy to find at the point of care, including on mobile devices?
- Is adherence monitored, rather than assumed?
3. IPC education and training
All staff, not just clinicians, should receive IPC training at induction and regularly afterwards. The IPC team needs specialist training of its own.
- Does every new joiner complete IPC training before working with patients?
- Is training refreshed at least annually and assessed for competence, not just attendance?
- Can you see, by department, who is overdue?
4. Healthcare-associated infection (HAI) surveillance
Facility-based surveillance using standard definitions such as those of the CDC's NHSN or ECDC tells you where infections occur and whether prevention works. Priority targets usually include CLABSI, CAUTI, ventilator-associated events, surgical site infections and multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs).
- Are definitions standardised and applied consistently?
- Are rates calculated with correct denominators, such as device days and procedures?
- Do results reach frontline teams within weeks, not quarters?
For a detailed walkthrough, see How to Measure Hospital-Acquired Infections.
5. Multimodal strategies
Single interventions rarely change behaviour. WHO recommends multimodal strategies that combine system change (the right equipment and infrastructure), training, monitoring and feedback, reminders in the workplace, and a culture of safety. This is the model behind successful hand hygiene and care bundle programmes.
- Do improvement projects address all five elements, or only training?
- Are frontline champions and senior leaders both visibly involved?
6. Monitoring, audit and feedback
Regular audits of IPC practices and timely feedback are what turn guidelines into habits. That means audits of hand hygiene, bundle compliance, environmental cleaning, waste management and sterilisation.
- Are audits done across all shifts, including nights and weekends?
- Do results go back to the audited team quickly, with clear actions?
- Does leadership see trends, not just one-off scores?
7. Workload, staffing and bed occupancy
Overcrowding and understaffing drive transmission. WHO's guidance is that bed occupancy should not exceed the facility's standard capacity, with one patient per bed and adequate spacing between beds. Staffing should match patient workload.
- Do you monitor occupancy above standard capacity and its link to infection rates?
- Are corridor or extra beds tracked and escalated?
- Is nurse staffing reviewed against acuity, especially in ICUs?
8. Built environment, materials and equipment
Safe care needs the right infrastructure: water, sanitation and hygiene; hand hygiene stations at the point of care; adequate ventilation; isolation rooms; safe biomedical waste management; and reliable supplies of personal protective equipment.
- Is alcohol-based hand rub available at every point of care?
- Are air, water and surface quality checked on schedule?
- Is biomedical waste segregated, stored and disposed of according to regulations?
Scoring your hospital with the IPCAF
WHO's Infection Prevention and Control Assessment Framework (IPCAF) turns the eight components into a structured self-assessment. Each component is scored out of 100, for a total out of 800, which places the facility at one of four levels: inadequate (0–200), basic (201–400), intermediate (401–600) or advanced (601–800). Repeating the IPCAF every year gives leadership a simple, comparable measure of progress.
From checklist to programme
Most hospitals do not fail on knowledge. They fail on follow-through, because audits sit on paper, surveillance runs months behind and actions have no owner.
Why hospitals choose Ibhar
Ibhar helps IPC teams turn the WHO core components from a checklist into a programme that runs every day, on every ward, with evidence leadership can trust. Ibhar is the infection intelligence platform for infection prevention and control (IPC), antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) and antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Hospitals from India to the Middle East use it, and it works alongside Epic, Oracle Health (Cerner) and InterSystems.
- 800+ hospitals with Ibhar implementation experience.
- Trusted by CAHO to run IPC assessments across its member hospitals.
- Peer-reviewed research in the American Journal of Infection Control and the Indian Journal of Medical Microbiology.
To see what Ibhar could do for your hospital, talk to our team.
Frequently asked questions
What are the 8 WHO core components of infection prevention and control?
IPC programmes; IPC guidelines; education and training; HAI surveillance; multimodal strategies; monitoring, audit and feedback; workload, staffing and bed occupancy; and the built environment, materials and equipment.
What is the WHO IPCAF?
The Infection Prevention and Control Assessment Framework is WHO's self-assessment tool for the core components. It scores a facility out of 800 and places it at an inadequate, basic, intermediate or advanced level.
How many healthcare-associated infections are preventable?
WHO estimates that good infection prevention and control programmes can prevent up to 70% of healthcare-associated infections.