The IPC Toolkit: Essential Papers for Infection Trainees and Junior Specialists

For the Healthcare Infection Society’s open access journal Infection Prevention in Practice.

Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) is becoming increasingly complex. Medical Microbiology, Virology and Infectious Disease trainees often report that they find it challenging to gain sufficient IPC experience during their postgraduate training. Many may not feel confident in the technical aspects of IPC as they approach examinations, completion of training and Consultant roles. 

Infection Prevention in Practice (IPIP, the gold open access journal of the Healthcare Infection Society) is planning a special article collection in Spring 2026. We would like to support trainees and junior practitioners by publishing a collection of summary articles, covering key IPC themes taken from competencies within the Royal College of Pathologists and Joint Royal Colleges of Physicians Training board Medical Microbiology curriculum (2021). The article collection will be led by a small group of Guest Editors, themselves trainees in Medical Microbiology and/or Infectious Diseases. 

Article topics could include:

• PPE, standard and transmission-based PPE, including HCID
• Isolation and cohorting of patients
• Disinfection and Sterilisation
• Support services (Food/Laundry)
• Clinical waste management
• Microbiological Surveillance and its role in IPC
• Role of pre- and post-exposure prophylaxis (immunisation and other) in preventing HCAIs and managing outbreaks
• Role of the laboratory in IPC (i.e. screening, rapid identification of cases, typing)
• Summary of healthcare ventilation
• Water safety in the built environment
• Outbreak Investigation - which can cover several of the preceding areas

The intention of this collection is to support trainees and early career Consultants/IPC Practitioners as they approach examinations and face IPC challenges in their role.

Each article should provide a topic summary and briefly review existing national and international guidance, highlighting recent pivotal literature in the area. Each article could provide readers with a one-stop place for foundational knowledge of a curriculum theme, which can be built upon.

The aim, initially, is to provide a small collection of five to six articles, that could form a nucleus for a wider collection of papers in the future. Each paper would undergo peer review, with at least one independent reviewer invited to make suggestions for revisions, prior to possible final acceptance. For this initial collection, journal Article Processing Charges would be waived, though only the best papers will be chosen. 

Submitted papers will be between 1,000–1,500 words with a predefined format:

• Unstructured 250-word summary
• A maximum of three tables/diagrams
• Maximum 20 references
• Proposed headings (to be finalised): Summary/Abstract, Background, Guidelines and Evidence, Recent Literature on the topic, Key messages

IPIP will be launching a formal Expression of Interest from Monday 5th January 2026. We will invite authors (to include at least one Trainee) to form small groups, select an IPC component based upon the curriculum and apply to write a commissioned article. 

Editorial Team

Guest Editors: 

• Siobháin Kelly (Previous HIS Graham Ayliffe Fellow) 
• Na'im Merchant (HIS Trainee Committee Chair) 
• Ashleigh McMaster (HIS Trainee Committee Vice Chair) 
• Nishchay Kakkar (BIA Trainee Representative) 

IPIP Editor in Chief: Gemma Winzor ipipeditor@his.org.uk
HIS Editorial Office: journals@his.org.uk