The relevance of nursing to the achievement of person-centred infection prevention and control

This opinion paper addresses the role of nurses and the relevance of models and theories, both nursing and infection prevention and control (IPC), to visitor restrictions that were widely enforced in many countries during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a focus on person-centredness. It outlines the social utility of nursing, reflecting on whether what happened during this period has made nursing theories more less relevant. It suggests that IPC guidance, rooted in a historic biomedical model, has had a tendency not to consider the impact that the precautionary measures it recommends, rather than the infections themselves, might have on the quality of life of people receiving healthcare. A key driver of the visitor restrictions seemed to be the pursuit of this biomedical model across the health system that was at odds with the person-centred theories of nursing. The paper questions the limitations of focusing on a biomedical logic for guiding the ethics of nursing. The IPC community working with the nursing profession, recapturing some of the theoretical principles of person-centred approaches, could help build a blueprint for compassionate IPC decision-making for the future. The paper outlines seven policy, practice and research considerations that might address the issues raised.