Each year, the EM Cottrell lecture takes place at the Infection Prevention Society conference in honour of the first ‘whole-time infection control sister’. This year the EM Cottrell lecture was delivered by Dr Evonne Curran, nurse consultant infection control, Health Protection Scotland, on the theme: The times they are a changing. LOUISE FRAMPTON reports.
Speaking at the IPS conference, held in Glasgow, Scotland, Dr Curran offered a personal reflection on the important changes that have taken place in the field of infection prevention and control, since EM Cottrell’s first appointment at Torbay Hospital in 1959, and throughout her own career.
Dr Curran first entered the field of infection prevention and control in late 1987 – some 28 years after EM Cottrell began hers. Initially the post was single- handed at the Glasgow Royal Infirmary, later with a much larger team for North Glasgow and eventually with a co-position as advisor to NHS Greater Glasgow.
Since 2006, Dr Curran has been working as a nurse consultant at Health Protection Scotland. Her interest areas include: how to better manage and prepare for outbreaks and how the use of data, human error theory and high reliability can better prevent infection prevention. She completed her Doctorate of Nursing exploring the safety issues associated with infusate contamination and writes the ‘Outbreak Column’ in the Journal of Infection Prevention.
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