A hospital in Florida successfully registered a significant drop in hospital-related infections by scaling its Infection Prevention staff size two folds during a span of four years, as reported by the researchers at the Association for Professionals in Infection (APIC) annual gathering. At AdventHealth Celebration, the guided work was systematically built on previous research articles that emphasized on appropriate staffing sizes in infection prevention units for different facilities, as revealed by Luz Caicedo, the Infection Prevention Manager at the hospital.
While many published works highlight the relevance of the acute-care bed size and correspondingly requisite infection prevention staff, they often overlook aspects including off-site emergency departments, ambulatory surgical centers, ambulatory sites, and outpatient dialysis facilities, added Caicedo. Consequently, each of these sites require infection prevention oversight, particularly in terms of pathogen reduction strategies and it’s essential that staff ratios reflect this necessity.
In order to verify the required resources for adequate coverage, Caicedo and her team carried out a comprehensive literature review pertaining to infection prevention staffing and career progression to present to their chief nursing officer at AdventHealth. By showcasing a business case emphasizing on the financial implications of excess health care-associated infections, the staff size of infection prevention and control department was increased from 2 to 4.8 full-time positions. This led to substantial decreases in rates of central line-associated bloodstream infections by 37% and health care-onset Clostridioides difficile infections by 45% in the year 2023, with the reducing trend continuing into 2024.
Caicedo expressed optimism about the applicability of the implemented framework at other health care facilities, given the right pitch and supportive executive teams ready to incorporate data provided by infection preventionists. She stressed the necessity for infection preventionists to collaborate effectively with other vital departments for enhancing their facility and patient outcomes, with dedicated investments contributing to improved clinical results.
Highlighting the achievements of the AdventHealth Infection Prevention and Control team, APIC President Tania Bubb emphasized that such progress would be unachievable without satisfying staffing requirements. The success of the program bears witness to the support derived from hospital leadership and Caicedo’s ability to demonstrate the wide-spread effects of prudent investment in infection prevention.