Background
The University of Health Sciences led a three-year research project on infection prevention and control (IPC) in hospitals that was implemented in partnership with the National University of Singapore and the Lao Tropical Institute of Public Health, under funding from the Reckitt Global Hygiene Institute. The project ran from 2023 to 2026 and engaged three Cambodian hospitals: Khmer-Soviet Friendship Hospital, 16 January Referral Hospital (Preah Vihear province), and Chamkasan Referral Hospital (Preah Vihear province).
Hospital-level IPC systems address leadership, staff training, and routine practice such as hand hygiene and low-level device decontamination to reduce in-facility pathogen transmission. The dissemination event brought together national and provincial hospital leaders and researchers to review study findings and to recommend actions for strengthening IPC governance and capacity at hospital units and administrative levels.
Key Developments
On 26 May 2026 the University of Health Sciences hosted a dissemination seminar at its campus attended in person by 50 participants and by 99 participants via Zoom. The opening was chaired by the Secretary of State for Health, who praised the study and reiterated a high-level message linking service quality to patient safety and IPC systems across all health service units.
Institutional Role
The event recorded four formal recommendations directed at hospital leadership and the research partners: (1) hospital management should review and share the study results with all relevant cadres and departments as a basis for local IPC practice; (2) hospital leadership should maintain close collaboration with the University of Health Sciences and the research team to continue interventional work; (3) hospital managers should provide feedback to the university research team to identify and resolve implementation challenges; and (4) the University of Health Sciences and research partners are to organise training for hospital leaders and IPC focal persons to harmonise implementation approaches.
Operational Implications
Preliminary study results presented at the seminar indicated measurable improvements in hand hygiene compliance and low-level device decontamination practices across the three participating hospitals. The research partners recommended structured capacity-building and regular feedback loops between hospitals and the university to support sustained IPC practices at the facility level.
