Re-thinking microbiology/infection control education to enhance the practice-readiness of health professional students: more than just a curriculum issue.

Undergraduate education in the health professions is intended to produce competent health professional graduates. Infection prevention and control (IPC) is a necessary element of daily practice in many health professions, to safeguard patients and staff, however previous research has established poor knowledge and implementation of IPC precautions despite escalating rates of potentially lethal healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) across the globe. This paper will discuss three key areas of influence for graduates' IPC knowledge, intentions and practice: perceptions of science, health behaviour beliefs (perceived risk and self-efficacy) and applied knowledge (microbiology). To date, each of these areas have been researched individually however there is an urgent need for improved synthesis and integration of these factors in curriculum planning and design, both inside and outside the classroom, to enhance the development of competent, work-ready graduates.