Key takeaways:
- The system elevated an infection prevention employees from 11 to 24 an infection preventionists.
- This resulted in vital decreases in catheter-associated UTIs, C. difficile and colon surgical website infections.
PHOENIX — An infection charges decreased by as much as 57% at a Virginia well being system when it elevated the scale of its an infection prevention employees, based on information offered at a convention.
“The catalyst for this work was the COVID-19 pandemic,” Maimuna Jatta, RN, MSN, CIC, director of an infection prevention and management at Carilion Clinic, advised Healio. “The necessity for an infection prevention material experience intensified as an infection preventionists redirected focus to emergency pandemic response. Our well being system rapidly realized our staffing wants and labored to enhance staffing in addition to an infection prevention program parts.”
Information derived from Jatta M, et al. LDPM 14. Offered at: Affiliation for Professionals in An infection Management and Epidemiology; June 16-18, 2025; Phoenix.
In line with a press launch, Carilion Clinic had solely 11 an infection preventionists on employees for all the well being system, which incorporates eight hospitals and greater than 1,000 beds. By 2023, the employees numbered 24 full-time an infection preventionists.
The elevated staffing resulted in vital declines in complete hospital-associated infections and standardized an infection ratios, Jatta famous.
Particularly, information confirmed that catheter-associated UTIs decreased by 57%, Clostridioides difficile by 52%, colon surgical website infections by 26% and central line-associated bloodstream infections by 16%, based on findings offered on the annual convention of the Affiliation for Professionals in An infection Management and Epidemiology.
Primarily based on the findings, Jatta concluded that robust an infection prevention is predictive of decrease an infection charges, proving an infection prevention is a scientific end result driver.
She added that bolstering an infection prevention employees is one thing that’s possible at different services if the function an infection preventionists play throughout all points of well being care supply programs is considered.
“It’s not nearly extra employees, it’s about [the] proper assist, information programs and alignment throughout departments that builds a tradition of prevention that’s proactive and never reactive,” Jatta mentioned.
The research was offered slightly over a month after the CDC terminated an advisory committee that supplied federal steerage on the prevention and management of well being care-associated infections and the unfold of antimicrobial resistance. Specialists urged HHS to reinstate the committee, calling it important to public well being.
Within the press launch, APIC President Carol McLay, DrPH, MPH, RN, FAPIC, FSHEA, CIC, mentioned Carilion is “a robust instance of what many forward-thinking well being care programs are discovering” — that growing the variety of an infection preventionists on employees improves affected person outcomes.
“When an infection charges go down, we additionally see shorter hospital stays, fewer readmissions and significant price financial savings, advantages that ripple throughout all the well being care system,” she mentioned.
References:
- Jatta M, et al. LDPM 14. Offered at: Affiliation for Professionals in An infection Management and Epidemiology; June 16-18, 2025; Phoenix.
- An infection charges plummeted when Virginia hospital employed extra an infection preventionists. [APIC press release provided to media before publication.]For extra info
Maimuna Jatta, RN, MSN, CIC, might be reached at mjatta@carilionclinic.org.
Sources/Disclosures
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Jatta M, et al. LDPM 14. Offered at: Affiliation for Professionals in An infection Management and Epidemiology; June 16-18, 2025; Phoenix.
Disclosures:
Jatta reviews no related monetary disclosures.
