Alerte infection, a tool for an innovative public management of health care professionals to prevent epidemics in the vaud canton

Introduction: With a first observation of information problem in epidemic cases, it was noted that health care professionals don't have time to get informed by themselves about hygiene hospital news or protocols last updates. The cantonal unit of Hygiene Prevention and Control of Infection in Vaud (HPCi Vaud) in charge of epidemics monitoring in health facilities, worked on a strategy to push in the fastest possible way important information to the health care professionals to prevent diseases' spread as soon as a situation has been detected. Objectives: The objective of this public management is to control epidemics by reducing the communication time in early detection between Public Health (OMC/HPCi Vaud) and the health care professionals who are main actors on the field, in order to improve their responsiveness in decision or action. The global goal of this Public Health administration is to protect patients in acute care and nursing home residents from infections and communicable diseases in the Vaud canton. Methods: As an information problem. This solution has been managed according to communications methods and strategies. On that occasion, the long process of management and communication from public health passing by several intermediaries to reach the healthcare workers as been optimised to be shorter with no intermediary. Results: A free mobile application has been released at the end of 2019 for care workers in Vaud health facilities. This app sends HPCI alerts classified by category that users can enable/disable according to their needs. Results of a sample of users showed that over 95,2% say they are more responsive to adapt their decision and action according to the information notification, and 83.1% say that the alerts helps to protect patients and residents. Conclusion: In the current context of the CoVID-19 pandemic, this tool has been very useful to communicate as fast as possible with the health care professionals about the details of the patient care and the multiple updates of pandemic recommendations. The effective impact of responsiveness thanks to the tool confirmed by users' feedback is very positive.The mobile app has not been yet installed by all the care workers in the Vaud canton and this implicates launching complementary communications and thinking about new improvements.