The IPC Pilot Projects repository collects information from partners on small-scale IPC interventions to inspire similar interventions in other countries/contexts.

The intervention ranges from surveillance system pilots and guideline adaptation to behaviour change strategies and testing digital tools. These real-world pilots are led by national, regional, or local IPC teams and aim to strengthen local IPC capacity and practices, generating evidence on implementation enablers and barriers.

Each project is described here using a synthetic data sheet that includes objectives, methodology, and, when available, results.

CZECH REPUBLIC

Self-Assessment Tool for the Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) Program of Hospitals

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LATVIA

Infection control in blood culture collection: Developing a checklist for process monitoring

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SLOVENIA

Assessment of IPC capacities and competencies in Slovenian acute care hospitals using the adapted WHO IPCAF questionnaire

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Summary: While primary care has traditionally been managed in solo GP practices in Austria, there is an ongoing shift towards more group practices. In addition, Primärversorgungseinheiten (PVE) have been developed as a new organisational form that incorporates GPs as well as other medical specialities, healthcare professionals such as nurses, psychologists or dietologists and social workers. This shift towards larger multiprofessional facilities brings new IPC challenges and at the same time provides an opportunity to strengthen IPC implementation in primary care.

Led by the Austrian National Public Health Institute (GÖG), this pilot project will use an adapted WHO IPCAF tool for primary care (IPCAF-PC) to map IPC implementation in Austrian primary care. It will identify gaps, develop tailored training or behavioural tools, and re-assess progress over time. The project also aims to test feasible interventions and survey acceptability and uptake among staff.

The results will provide Austria with its first structured insight into IPC readiness in primary care units, helping inform national policy, support future roll-out to solo practices, and reduce infection risks in frontline settings.

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Project title: Check Hospital Infection Prevention Status (CHIPS) – Mandatory National Quality Indicators for Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) in Acute Care Hospitals: renewed set of quality indicators for IPC, which will be collected annually using a new data collection tool, externally reviewed by peers, with a focus on horizontal learning. The results will be presented not only in the national report but also through an innovative, interactive dashboard for enhanced visualization.

Summary: Monitoring and feedback are essential for effective infection prevention and control (IPC) programmes. In Belgium, the Check Hospital Infection Prevention Status (CHIPS) framework was developed to support a structured, improvement-oriented assessment of IPC implementation in acute care hospitals. This summary presents the validation phase of CHIPS prior to wider implementation.

In 2025, a mixed-methods validation study was conducted in 57 Belgian acute care hospitals, which participated on a voluntary basis. Hospitals contributed to one or more study components, including self-assessment, interobserver reliability testing, comparison with the World Health Organization’s Infection Prevention and Control Assessment Framework (IPCAF), interviews and peer-to-peer visits.

Overall, CHIPS was positively received by IPC professionals. Interobserver agreement was moderate, with variability across indicators and topics, particularly for training, monitoring, surveillance and priority setting. Comparison with IPCAF showed a strong association between CHIPS and IPCAF scores. Qualitative findings indicated that CHIPS supports structured reflection on IPC activities, guides policy development and action planning, and facilitates dialogue with hospital management and other stakeholders. Challenges included the complexity of the tool, difficulties in interpretation and prioritisation, and limited feasibility to achieve a green score across all components within a three-year cycle. Peer-to-peer visits were valued for exchange and learning.

The project will be supported by a user-friendly digital platform and interactive dashboard, offering real-time benchmarking. Overall, this validation phase supports the use of CHIPS as a meaningful monitoring and reflection tool within an improvement-oriented and non-punitive framework.

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Summary: Bulgaria is launching a national initiative to strengthen infection prevention and control (IPC) through the structured implementation of clinical care bundles in acute care hospitals. Led by NCIPD and the Bulgarian Association for Prevention and Infection Control (BAPIC) BULNOSO, the project focuses on high-risk invasive procedures, targeting VAP, CLABSI, cUTI, SSI, bloodstream infections and C. difficile.

Rather than treating IPC as isolated actions, the pilot promotes a behavioural shift: embedding 3–5 evidence-based steps into every procedure, for every patient, every time. The approach follows WHO’s multimodal strategy, combining training, bedside checklists, audit-feedback cycles, and leadership engagement.

Workshops, national forums (BULNOSO Academy), and mentorship programmes will train frontline staff and IPC specialists, aiming for high compliance and measurable reductions in infection rates and antimicrobial use. National Guideline on IPC bundle approaches and paper-based monitoring ensures feasibility across facilities.

By aligning with Bulgaria’s National Health Strategy 2030 and AMR priorities, the project seeks to transform IPC from policy into routine clinical culture—building sustainable safety systems across the country’s acute care hospitals.

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Summary: This pilot, led by HZJZ, aims to implement a full-scale IPC needs assessment in a 120-bed chronic care facility near Zagreb.

Using the WHO IPCAF and custom staff questionnaires, the team will assess structural readiness and frontline knowledge. The project will then roll out tailored education, mentorship, and peer learning activities targeting core IPC domains—hand hygiene, PPE, environmental hygiene, and waste management.

Later phases include developing national guidelines for microbiological sampling and introducing basic antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) principles. The initiative also builds a sustainable model: its tools and outcomes can be replicated in similar facilities, ensuring long-term impact.

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Summary: This pilot introduces a structured self-assessment process for all acute care hospitals, using a format inspired by WHO’s IPCAF tool. Hospitals complete a digital baseline survey assessing their IPC structures and practices. Based on the results, a sample of hospitals will engage in deeper analysis, training, and improvement planning.

The pilot also includes development of an e-learning platform, on-site training, and the design of performance indicators to guide future national reporting. Over time, the project will expand to include long-term care facilities and assess IPC workforce competencies.

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Summary: Since 2015, Finland has faced a persistent outbreak of MRSA among people who inject drugs, a population particularly vulnerable to bloodstream infections (BSIs). In 2024, nearly 40% of MRSA-related BSIs occurred in this group. This national pilot, led by THL, aims to understand and interrupt the transmission chains fueling these outbreaks.

The project will explore how MRSA spreads in outpatient and community settings, engaging both frontline health and harm reduction workers. A phased approach includes baseline assessments, training for professionals, rollout of aseptic practice guidance, and monitoring of interventions. It also aims to inform a national prevention plan tailored to the needs of people who inject drugs.

This initiative brings together government agencies, public health experts, and NGOs to address a long-overlooked IPC challenge with serious public health implications.

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Summary: This pilot aims to investigate infection prevention, antibiotic use, and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) through a nationwide survey assessing knowledge, behaviours, and misconceptions among the general public in Iceland. Adapted from the 2022 Eurobarometer and other validated tools, the survey will reach adults across Iceland with plans to repeat the survey in a few years. Findings will guide national awareness campaigns and shape policy, particularly around the country’s AMR National Action Plan. By stratifying results by background information, including age, gender, education and location, the project aims to better engage key target groups and track changes over time.

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Summary: This pilot introduces semi-automated monitoring of healthcare associated (HA) bloodstream infections (BSIs) using routinely collected electronic health records (EHRs) at the country’s largest hospital, with support from the EHR-BSI consortium led by Epiconcept, Statens Serum Institut and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).

The project merges two national registers, communicable diseases and hospital discharges, using Icelandic personal IDs to identify HA-BSI cases. The resulting database will be updated continuously, enabling real-time data visualization and early warnings for infection trends or AMR threats.

Led by the Chief Epidemiologist, the pilot will feed into national notifiable disease reporting and later expand to other hospitals to achieve national representation. Furthermore, data will be submitted to ECDC to contribute to HA-BSI surveillance in the EU/EEA area.

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Summary: Infection Control Self-assessment for Guiding Health Interventions and Governance Tracking (INSIGHT) is a pilot digital platform that turns routine IPC self-assessments into a governance tool for IPC. Aggregating WHO IPCAF data from healthcare facilities helps IPC managers see the wider picture beyond the single facility, comparing progress, and targeting IPC improvements where they matter most. Designed with and for IPC professionals, INSIGHT supports smarter decision-making, stronger governance, and sustained infection prevention across health systems.

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Summary: This pilot introduces a structured checklist for blood sample collection, developed from an IPC perspective to improve procedural quality and reduce contamination. After baseline analysis, the project will identify the highest-risk departments, conduct training, and implement the checklist across the hospital. Procedural protocol will be updated and education for nurses and doctors will be provided by onsite training and seminar.

With support of Latvia’s AMR Competence Centre, the checklist will be distributed nationally, enabling other hospitals to replicate the approach. The project aligns with Latvia’s National Action Plan on AMR, which prioritises safer invasive procedures and better IPC competencies.

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Summary: Lithuania is taking a nationwide snapshot of infection prevention and control (IPC) capacities using the WHO IPCAF questionnaire. The pilot involves 19 acute care hospitals—half participating in a national AMR project and half as independent comparators—to evaluate IPC structures, resources, and competencies.

The results will identify systemic gaps and inform national policy. Based on findings, tailored improvement plans and recommendations will be developed, including proposals to integrate IPCAF data into the national HAI surveillance system.

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Summary:This pilot introduces a national multimodal prevention strategy across three hospitals of different levels (university, regional, long-term care) targeting bloodstream infections linked to PVCs.

The initiative implements WHO’s five-component model: system change, education, monitoring, reminders, and safety climate. Tools include new national guidelines, checklists, simulation-based training, and data dashboards. Paper-based forms ensure inclusivity even in digitally limited hospitals.

Coordinated by the Institute of Hygiene, the project will reduce PVC-associated infection rates, decrease unnecessary PVC use, and support broader IPC improvement. Results and tools will be freely shared nationally to encourage replication and compliance with upcoming IPC regulations.

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Summary: In Poland, the pilot project aims to improve hand hygiene (HH) compliance among healthcare workers in two large university hospitals in Lublin, especially those from selected wards with the lowest alcohol-based hand rub (ABHR) consumption.

This project combines education, behavioural nudges, and rigorous observation to raise compliance by at least 10%. After a baseline survey, direct observation using WHO tools will be carried out in selected wards followed by targeted training, visual prompts, and feedback sessions. The post-intervention phase will monitor outcomes through HH observations and ABHR use per 1,000 patient days.

By tailoring interventions to local needs and involving hospital leadership, the pilot addresses both knowledge gaps and behavioural barriers. The results will guide broader hospital-level adoption and are expected to feed into regional IPC improvement strategies.

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Summary: Romania is tackling persistent IPC gaps by investing the situation of small hospitals in applying IPC principles in order to highlight training needs, an ambitious training programme under EU-JAMRAI 2. This national pilot aims to strengthen IPC core competencies in 40 hospitals, selected based on the results of the IPCAF study under WHO methodology.

The project trains IPC professionals as “trainers” through a modular education programme aligned with ECDC and WHO standards. Training covers hand hygiene, SOPs, MDRO outbreak response, audit methods, and communication. Participants will develop hospital-level IPC training plans and deliver local sessions, reinforcing a culture of safety.

The initiative also aims to reinforce IPC education to EU standards into Romania’s medical residency and nursing school curricula, laying the foundation for sustainable, system-wide improvement. A phased monitoring and evaluation plan will track gains in knowledge, hand hygiene performance, and curriculum changes.

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Summary: Slovenia is launching its first national baseline assessment of IPC capacities in all Slovenian hospitals using an adapted WHO IPCAF questionnaire. The pilot will collect data from all 29 hospitals to identify gaps in infrastructure, staffing, and IPC competencies, areas highlighted as critical in the country’s 2023 HAI point prevalence survey.

Based on findings, the project will develop and pilot a new national IPC guideline in Slovenia’s two largest hospitals (UKC Ljubljana and UKC Maribor), with re-evaluation and revision after one year. The long-term aim is to scale the guideline to all hospitals, improve IPC staffing levels, and reinforce antimicrobial stewardship.

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Summary: Dentists are major antibiotic prescribers, and dental settings pose unique risks for infection transmission. This pilot focuses on enhancing infection prevention and control (IPC) and antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) across Murcia’s public oral health units (USBDs).

Targeting 9 clinics in Health Area I (with future regional scale-up), the initiative trains dental staff on evidence-based sterilization protocols and the national Spanish guideline for antibiotic prescribing (PRAN). Staff complete structured self-assessments to identify knowledge gaps, correct non-compliant behaviours, and implement patient safety checklists.

Combining training, self-evaluation and audits, and practical tools, this project strengthens IPC culture in dental settings, ensuring safer care and more responsible antibiotic use in line with Spain’s AMR strategy.

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Summary: Murcia is bridging public health, primary care, and social care to prevent HAIs and outbreaks in Long-Term Care Facilities (LTCFs). This pilot in Health District 7 creates a scalable surveillance and prevention model targeting multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) and communicable disease outbreaks.

It introduces standardized protocols, electronic surveillance tools (WASPSS), and tailored micro-learning “training pills” for LTCF staff. Coordination is ensured through district liaison nurses, primary care providers, public health teams (SIVIET-RM), and hospital IPC units.

The approach reinforces early detection, outbreak response, and professional training. With strong regional integration and a sustainability plan, it serves as a model for broader application across Murcian LTCFs.

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Summary: This pilot project led by the Preventive Medicine teams of the Murcia Health Service (SMS) focuses on evaluating and improving the core components of infection prevention and control (IPC) programmes in five public hospitals. Using an adapted WHO assessment tool, each hospital’s Preventive Medicine department carries out a structured self-assessment to identify gaps, sets improvement priorities, and develops tailored action plans. The pilot supports the implementation of a harmonised and evidence-based IPC strategy across the region, reinforcing both local capacity and strategic alignment with public health goals.

Through a six-phase process—ranging from baseline assessment to implementation evaluation—the project promotes internal audits, training, leadership development, and peer comparison. Specific participation, planning, execution of actions, and IPC improvement are developed and tailored to local needs. Each hospital benefits from capacity building, cross-institutional dialogue, and hands-on support, ensuring a sustainable IPC model that is ready to scale to the rest of the region.

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