Patrick Chimuanya Etus1, Micheal Abimbola Oladosu2✉, Moses Adondua Abah3, Okabeonye Sunday Agbo4, Bukola Oluwaseyi Olufosoye5 and Chineye Cynthia Udeh6
1Department of Graduate Business Studies, Faculty of Business, Ohio Dominican University, Ohio, USA.
2Department of Chemical Sciences, Faculty of Science, Anchor University, Lagos, Nigeria.
3Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Pure and Applied Sciences, Federal University of Wukari, Wukari, Taraba State, Nigeria
4Department of Applied Biology and Biotechnology, Enugu State University of Science and Technology, Agbani, Nigeria.
5Department of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medical Laboratory Sciences. Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Edo State, Nigeria
6Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu State, Nigeria
(✉) Corresponding Author
Received: Apr 21, 2026/ Revised: May 29 2026/Accepted: June 7, 2026
Highlights
- Reviews current infection prevention and control practices in healthcare facilities.
- Evaluates barriers to effective IPC implementation, especially in resource-limited settings.
- Highlights the effectiveness of multimodal strategies in reducing healthcare-associated infections.
- Explores emerging innovations including AI surveillance, UV-C disinfection, and IoT technologies.
- Emphasizes the need for sustainable, evidence-based approaches to strengthen healthcare safety.
Abstract
Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) remain among the most prevalent adverse events in global health service delivery, placing an enormous burden on patients, healthcare workers, and health systems worldwide. Despite evidence-based interventions, implementation of infection prevention and control (IPC) remains inconsistent, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). This narrative review examines current IPC practices in healthcare facilities, analyses the structural, behavioural, and resource barriers that impede effective implementation, and explores emerging technological and programmatic innovations. A comprehensive literature search was conducted across PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, and CINAHL for peer-reviewed articles and authoritative reports published between 2020 and 2025 using the terms ‘infection prevention and control’, ‘healthcare-associated infections’, ‘hand hygiene’, ‘antimicrobial stewardship’, ‘UV-C disinfection’, and ‘AI surveillance’. Multimodal IPC strategies incorporating standard precautions, contact precautions, environmental cleaning, and chlorhexidine bathing demonstrate the greatest efficacy (RR 0.04, 95% CI 0.02–0.08). Key barriers include infrastructural deficits, HCW compliance gaps, inadequate training, and resource limitations in LMICs. Emerging innovations, including UV-C disinfection robots, AI-assisted surveillance, whole-genome sequencing, and IoT-enabled smart environments, offer promising complements to conventional IPC measures. Achieving sustainable reduction in HAIs requires integration of evidence-based multimodal strategies, context-specific implementation support, and investment in emerging technologies, particularly in resource-limited settings.
Keywords: Infection prevention and control; Healthcare-associated infections; Hand hygiene; Antimicrobial stewardship; UV-C disinfection; Artificial intelligence; Multimodal strategies; low- and middle-income countries
How to cite this article
Etsu, P. C., Oladosu, M. A., Abah, M. A., Agbo, O. S., Olufosoye, B. O., & Udeh, C. C. (2026). Approaches to infection prevention and control in healthcare facilities: Current practices, barriers, and emerging innovations: A review article. Science Archives, 7(2), 143–153. https://doi.org/10.47587/SA.2026.7213
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License













