Investment in infection prevention continues to be overlooked amidst budget cuts in healthcare institutions, despite warnings from experts regarding the potential vulnerability this may instill in hospitals. Advocates argue for the establishment of stronger policies, more significant rewards, and fortified vaccination programs, these measures being critically essential in safeguarding patients as well as communities at large.
This information emerges from an interview conducted by Infection Control Today® (ICT®) with the authors of a recent analytical study called “Quantifying the progressing landscape of infection preventionists: A survey-based analysis of workload and resource needs.” The authors include reputable figures in the field of infection prevention, namely Brenna Doran, PhD, MA, University of California, San Francisco, who specializes in hospital epidemiology and infection prevention. Jessica Swain, MBA, MLT, director of infection prevention and control at Dartmouth Health in Lebanon, New Hampshire; and Shanina Knighton, an associate professor at Case Western Reserve University School of Nursing and a senior nurse scientist at MetroHealth System in Cleveland, Ohio.
Funding constraints have been highlighted by these infection preventionists as one of the major hurdles in ensuring adequate staffing in infection prevention departments. They assert that stronger policies and improved funding are critical. Knighton emphasizes that hospitals should collaborate with local and national policymakers to alter the current funding protocols for infection prevention initiatives. She further states that this lack of financial support is not just detrimental to infection prevention but general public health. She criticizes current federal reimbursement models, which provide minimal incentives for future endeavor. Knighton suggests pressuring for greater rewards to enable more substantial investment in infection prevention teams.
Conversely, hospitals witnessing higher infection rates face funding deductions, this stands as evidence that IPs contribute to safeguarding both patients and a hospital’s bottom line. However, effective infection prevention can often seem invisible. As Doran explains, most of what infection prevention departments do is often unnoticed as the lack of outbreaks is hard to quantitatively measure.
Participants in the discussion also proposed the need for augmented grants and emergency funding. Vaccination programs were underscored as indispensable tools in infection prevention. Doran emphasizes that infection preventionists are continually working to ensure patient awareness regarding the importance of vaccination. Doran and Knighton reiterate that hospital investments in infection prevention aren’t a mere compliance activity but a critical measure to save lives and maintain public trust.