Background:

There is growing evidence that patients actively contribute to the safety of their own care. There is a lack of evidence, however, about how clinicians acknowledge and engage with these activities.

Aims:

This paper presents data from current research investigating how patients’ understandings and enactments of infection control are shaped through their interactions with clinicians, and how these may shape clinicians' understandings and practices.

Methods:

The project involves filming patient/clinician care interactions, which are then shown back in one-on-one reflexive sessions between patient and researcher. This novel approach offers participants the opportunity to a) articulate their understandings of infection control as they are experiencing it and b) determine better ways to have their health needs met.

Results:

Findings show that patients recognise infection control practices and roles they can play in reducing infection transmission. However, they also describe challenges they face attempting to enact these roles, including lack of information, poor communication and fear of being labeled a difficult patient. Findings thus reveal a tension between patients wanting to actively contribute to their own safety around infection transmission and clinicians' lack of receptiveness towards patients' role in infection control. The findings are presented both in the form of coded transcripts and edited video clips from video sessions and filmed interviews. 

Conclusion:

This paper provides compelling and previously unavailable data about patient experiences, understandings and enactments of infection control. The challenges identified in this research inhibit patient involvement in clinical safety and prevent a broader understanding of infection control on the part of clinicians. Patients' feedback about infection and infection risk, however, may enhance clinicians' and policy makers' insights into infection control risks and behaviours. Such insight is vital to support appropriate patient self-care behaviour and to improve interactions between patients and staff.