By Carole W. Kamangu
November 20th, 2023
I recently had the honor of being featured as a guest on the “5 Second Rule” podcast presented by the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC). The hosts, Lorenza Howard and Kelly Holmes explored my professional journey into the field of infection prevention and my experiences in addressing challenges in healthcare.
We discussed how my background, as a native of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and my transition to the U.S., provided a unique perspective as I entered the healthcare field. I shared how my early interest in the healthcare profession was in becoming a surgeon, which later evolved into a passion for public health and nursing. We also discussed my goal to remain proactive rather than reactive and how this mentality fuels my drive as I practice within the field of infection prevention. This drive essentially leads my company as we help organizations optimize their processes to be more effective and better prepared for eventual emergencies. I didn't delve into this aspect during the show, but I strongly believe that a key factor for an effective infection prevention program is the thorough upfront effort to establish all major components of the program. This involves standardizing processes to minimize variations and potential human errors.
During the talk, we touched on several topics relevant to the field of infection prevention and public health, and I had the opportunity to provide my perspective. These topics included:
Marginalized Communities
Global Health
Hand Hygiene
Lessons Learned in the Field
Supporting Marginalized Communities and Low-Resource Settings through Infection Prevention Expertise
I highlighted my work in marginalized communities, drawing from my experiences in the DRC. As the founder of Dumontel Healthcare Consulting and a co-founder and board member of Congo4Tomorrow, a non-profit serving low-income schools in the DRC, I discussed the importance of addressing gaps in infection control, especially in settings with limited resources. Practitioners in such settings frequently require substantial support, as they may lack the expertise or the necessary resources to ensure program effectiveness.
How a Global Health Perspective Can Help Refine Critical Thinking Skills
I touched on my firsthand experience with infectious diseases while growing up in a war riddled country and being affected by those diseases myself. These past experiences helped enhance my critical thinking skills and allow me to use my background to educate others. A global health perspective and cultural competency are great assets that infection prevention and public health professionals can utilize in their work to educate others and understand outbreaks in the right context in order to manage them effectively. These assets can also allow them to be empathetic when serving marginalized communities through their work. In the setting of the 2015 Ebola outbreak and the COVID-19 pandemic, possessing these two qualities also played a crucial role in dispelling fears and misinformation from healthcare workers, patients and their families when I interacted with them through my work.
Hand Hygiene as a Core Principle of Infection Prevention
As International Infection Prevention Week approached, we also briefly discussed one of my favorite topics in infection prevention, which is hand hygiene. I recounted instances of educating children and communities, both locally and internationally, on proper hand hygiene practices. This was done once through a community project with Congo4Tomorrow with six low-income schools in DRC, a project that impacted over 2000 children, and at a different time with Dumontel Healthcare Consulting at an elementary school in Texas, where 90 first graders and their teachers learned the basic steps of proper hand hygiene technique as they prepared for their summer break. But most of all, I shared one of the proudest moments of my career where I helped revamp the hand hygiene program as a former employee of Harborview Medical Center, a program that became successful and sustainable in its processes and constantly demonstrated improved hand hygiene rates. This program helped empower members of the workforce and took the focus of hand hygiene from the infection prevention and control team to the entire system as it involved frontline staff from inpatient units, ancillary services and outpatient clinics.
Early Challenges in the Career of Infection Prevention and Lessons Learned
The podcast concluded with the hosts asking about my early career in infection prevention. I expressed a wish for earlier awareness that the field demands continuous self-motivation and a commitment to ongoing learning. I also highlighted the importance of being resourceful and proactive in acquiring knowledge, especially beyond the initial training period, a requirement that will help any infection preventionist remain resilient and succeed in this field of work.
To delve into the details of this talk, I encourage you to listen to the podcast episode on the 5 Second Rule website. I hope you find valuable insights into the challenges and triumphs that can result from dedication and a global perspective in the field of infection prevention. I also hope that you get inspired to remain committed to education, cultural competency, and addressing healthcare disparities as you serve in your respective work settings.
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Carole W. Kamangu is a seasoned nurse epidemiologist with business administration training who holds a certification in infection control. Her expertise focuses on applying infection prevention and control, public health and organizational leadership principles to consulting projects.
Although the name "Dumontel" seems quite common in French-speaking communities, the name Dumontel Healthcare Consulting carries a deep, personal meaning to the company's founder. Derived from the middle name of the founder’s youngest brother, "Dumontel" symbolizes protection. This profound connection fuels the founder’s dedication, mirroring the desire to safeguard the health of the vulnerable – a mission that extends far beyond the realms of a professional commitment.
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