Baseline evaluation of the World Health Organization (WHO) infection prevention and control (IPC) core components in Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs).

Background: Comprehensive infection prevention and control (IPC) programmes are proven to reduce the spread of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and antimicrobial resistance (AMR). However, published assessments of IPC programmes against the World Health Organization (WHO) IPC Core Components in Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs) at the national and acute healthcare facility level are currently unavailable.

Methods: From January 2022 to April 2023, a multi-country, cross-sectional study was conducted in PICTs.