Background: Hospital acquired infections (HAIs) increase length of hospital stay and lead to poorer clinical outcomes. HAIs are viewed as preventable through risk monitoring and prevention of transmission. These activities are frequently missed. This study explores missed infection control activities through the lens of missed or rationed care. Aim: To determine the factors that contribute to infection control activities being missed. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eleven nurses with infection control expertise. Findings: Four major factors were identified as contributing to infection control activities being missed. These are systemic factors such as poor staffing and skillmix which contribute to time constraints and difficulties with identifying signs of infection; environmental factors such as ward layout and access to Personal Protective Equipment (PPE); organisational factors including lack of managerial support and interprofessional relationships; and personal factors, primarily the priority given to infection control by the nurse and knowledge, understanding and application of the principles of infection control. Discussion: Policy responses to HAI frequently focus upon surveillance and education however, resourcing, organisational and interprofessional support and hospital layout all contribute to infection control activities being missed. Conclusion: Further research is required into the impact of systemic factors upon infection control activities being missed.

Introduction:World Youth Day (WYD) and its associated activities were held in Sydney, Australia from 15–20 July 2008. The aims of this research were to pilot the use of postcards at mass gatherings and to collect baseline data of how young people (age 16–25 years) identify factors that may affect their health and safety when attending mass gatherings.Hypothesis:The concerns of young people in relation to their health and safety at mass gatherings are poorly understood. It was decided that postcards would be an effective method of data collection in the mobile mass gathering environment.Methods:The research setting was the Pilgrim Walk at WYD. Participants on this walk were young people. To measure their health and safety concerns, a postcard was developed using a Likert scale to rank their attitudes on a continuum.Results:Young people stated that staying hydrated, having enough to eat, and being safe in a crowd were important to them. They also indicated that they perceived, overcrowding, getting to and from an event, and violent behavior as the greatest risks to their health and safety at a mass gathering.Conclusions:The problems with postcard distribution at a “mobile” mass gathering have been identified. Even so, results gathered showed that young people were focused on “in the moment” aspects of their health; such as access to food and water. They also had concerns for their safety due to potential overcrowding and/or violent behavior.

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A practise development approach is useful in the provision of education to guide clinical performance in patient handover. Nurse managers can use this approach to empower their staff to make positive changes to practise.

Young people attending mass-gathering celebrations have valid concerns about drinking responsibly, exposure to illicit drugs, and sexual harassment. Health messages or health promotion strategies aimed at their specific concerns would be helpful in the mitigation of illness or injury at such events.