I had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Sobhan Qadir at the Arab Health’s Infection Control Conference on January 31-February 1, 2024, in Dubai. Dr. Qadir is a member of the CBIC Test Committee and has been CIC® certified since 2023. He is also a Certified Healthcare Quality Professional (CHQP) and has an MCPS/MS in Health care system management and a master’s in public health.
Dr. Qadir is currently a medical doctor working as a Technical Advisor in Infection Prevention and Control with Jhpiego-A John Hopkins University Affiliate supporting the Ministry of National Health and the National Institute of Health Pakistan in developing and implementing the IPC Program on the country level. He has been supporting the CDC country office as a Technical Consultant on Infection Prevention and Control and a Consultant Global Health Security Agenda. He has also worked as a COVID-19 Lead in the capital of the country and Additional Medical Superintendent at Mayo Hospital Lahore. His interests are in Infection Prevention and Control Programs, Healthcare associated infection surveillance, and Global Health Policy/International Health Regulations.
I sat down with Dr. Qadir to hear a physician’s perspective on certification and to learn more about infection prevention and control programs on a global level.
1. Can you tell me about your current role and what is a typical day in the office for you?
Answer: I am presently employed as a Technical Advisor in Infection Prevention & Control, assisting the Ministry of National Health in implementing their Infection Prevention & Control program and monitoring healthcare-associated infections. On a typical day, I begin by addressing any ongoing tasks and activities related to IPC and infectious diseases programs. Following that, I check in with the infectious diseases department at the Ministry of Health to see if there are any new requirements regarding infectious disease prevention and response nationwide. If there are any, I review the data and formulate plans or recommendations accordingly. Subsequently, I convene with my team involved in IPC and Global Health security to assess current activities and provide guidance for potential improvements or modifications. If necessary, I liaise with the Global Community of Practice on Infection Prevention & Control at Jhpiego to address emerging IPC challenges and offer guidance based on standardized protocols. At the end of the day, I return home where I conduct online meetings with the US office to discuss overall program implementation and provide support.
2. What emerging trends within infection prevention and control are you seeing?
Answer: I have been witnessing increasing trends of outbreaks of zoonotic diseases, MDR/XDR of various infectious diseases in the health facilities (TB, Typhoid etc.) being reported from healthcare facilities on regular manner. The role of digital health and climate friendly health facilities are going to support the infection prevention & control program on global level. There is an extreme need for ONE-IPC collaborating with All relevant stakeholders such as Human, Animal health, Agriculture and climate to strengthen the IPC and Antimicrobial stewardship. There is also more focus on behavior change approached in IPC programs.
3. I would like to know about your role as a COVID-19 lead in the capital of Pakistan. What was that experience like?
Answer: I worked on COVID-19 response efforts in Islamabad, the capital of the country, where I observed a dire need to enhance infection prevention and control practices at the level of healthcare facilities. Poor IPC practices not only pose a threat to patients but also to healthcare workers, resulting in COVID-19 infections and deaths among them. Additionally, I noticed the importance of community engagement. Merely implementing standard and transmission-based precautions in healthcare facilities is insufficient to achieve desired outcomes in IPC programs. To address this, we conducted various community awareness and engagement activities. We found that areas with more educated and aware communities experienced lower rates of COVID-19 spread. In terms of my experience, I routinely reviewed the daily line lists produced by the National Institute of Health Pakistan, organized teams for awareness campaigns and contact tracing, and personally monitored the teams working in different streets and sectors of the city. Overall, this experience provided valuable insights into field epidemiology, IPC practices, community engagement, and education.
Furthermore, I was deployed to the Federating area of Gilgit Baltistan to establish contact tracing and COVID-19 response mechanisms. There, I trained staff on COVID-19 response protocols. This experience solidified my commitment to IPC as I realized the importance of field epidemiology, effective IPC programs and practices, leadership, and the role of communities in health emergencies. It marked a pivotal moment in my career as I transitioned entirely towards IPC
4. Dr. Qadir, can you tell me why earning your CIC® was important to you as a physician?
Answer: I have been working in Infection Prevention & Control and infectious disease surveillance for the past few years. However, I have always felt the need to expand my knowledge in infection prevention & control and attain certification that can validate my expertise. I wanted assurance that whatever strategies I implement in the country are backed by validated knowledge. When I completed the Certification in Infection Control (CIC®), it significantly boosted my confidence in my approach towards Infection Prevention & Control. Earning the CIC® was not only crucial for my career advancement (I observed a major promotion within 1.5 months, moving from the position of Technical Consultant to Technical Advisor), but it also motivated me to inspire other healthcare providers and workers to enhance their knowledge in IPC.
Physicians tend to focus more on clinical aspects, but now I am able to persuade them to pursue CIC® and focus on IPC. I emphasize the importance of IPC in maintaining healthcare quality and how crucial it is for physicians to earn the CIC® certification. As a physician myself, I have gained a deeper understanding of healthcare quality, patient safety, and their relationship with Infection Prevention & Control.
5. Would you recommend CBIC certification to other physicians?
Answer: I would definitely recommend physicians for CIC® certifications. As I mentioned before, by having more knowledge of IPC we can improve the healthcare quality, patient safety, and patient satisfaction along with decrease in infection rate, healthcare expense and decrease in AMR. I am continuously advocating it to our physicians to pursue CIC®.
6. How did you prepare for your CIC® examination?
Answer: As I have worked in Health facilities both as medical officer and healthcare manager, I was able to have background of leadership role as well as the clinical role (it was further supported by my experience in Disease Surveillance/Epidemiology), I used to study each chapter from APIC and used to visualize/practice in my health care setting. It not only helped me in understanding the practical aspect of CIC® examination, but also in understanding the gaps in our health facilities. I also used to visit the websites of CDC, SHEA, IDSA and APIC. As few areas of Microbiology needed more understanding, I also watched video lectures on microbiology components along with reading my microbiology book of medical school. I developed notes of each chapter and then reviewed it multiple times before going to examination center.
7. What is your role on the CBIC test committee and what got you interested in volunteering?
Answer: As I have just joined the CBIC test committee, I aim to work more on test development. I am also interested in volunteering in enhancing the footprints of CBIC/CIC® not only in my country but in middle income countries. I am also available to volunteer to include a few areas such as leadership, community IPC and Field Epidemiology in CIC®.
8. What advice would you give to someone that is interested in pursuing CBIC certification?
Answer: Do not focus on passing the examination. Instead, focus on the learning and finding solutions of IPC challenges in your health facilities while studying for CIC® examination. It will help you in remembering the facts, practical aspects of IPC and also in passing the examinations. Keep in mind, the aims are not to pass the examination, but to improve Infection Prevention & Control programs making healthcare safer and of good quality.
9. Is there anything else you would like to share with current and prospective certificants?
Answer: I believe there should be stronger CIC® chapters at country and regional level for mutual sharing of knowledge, problem solving and to act as advocate for CIC® at country and regional level.