Inadequate infection prevention and control staffing levels are associated with higher rates of healthcare-associated infections, according to a new study published today in the American Journal of Infection Control . The study, conducted by the APIC Center for Research, Practice & Innovation, summarizes a pilot project to evaluate a new online calculator aimed at providing facility-specific recommendations for infection prevention staffing. Infection prevention and control programs with staffing levels that are below expected demonstrated significantly higher rates of central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI), catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI), Clostridioides difficile infections, and colon surgical site infections.
For example, 25% of facilities staffed at lower-than-expected staffing levels had elevated CAUTI rates, as compared to only 7% of hospitals with expected or above expected staffing levels. In an analysis of 390 acute care hospitals that participated in the study, the calculator tool identified nearly 80% (79.2%) as having insufficient staff levels in this area.
Historically, hospitals utilized benchmarks that relied on a ratio of infection preventionists (IPs) per inpatient bed (ranging from 69-100 beds in the last decade). This traditional "one size fits all" method for calculating appropriate IP staffing levels is inadequate and outdated in the modern complex healthcare environment. Recognizing the need for a more customized rec.