Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) continue to be a formidable challenge, affecting 3% of hospitalized patients and levying billions in costs annually. In response to this pressing issue, the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) has recently unveiled an ambitious 10-year research agenda that prioritizes a dynamic understanding of disease transmission, implementation of cutting-edge science, and improvement of diagnostic stewardship, all aimed at reducing incidence of HAIs and facilitating better patient outcomes. In a revolutionary attempt to enhance healthcare safety, this initiative is poised to make significant inroads in infection control.
Professionals at the forefront of this initiative are Lona Mody, MD, the Hickey Professor of Internal Medicine and interim division chief of geriatric and palliative medicine at the University of Michigan and VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System, and Jennie H. Kwon, DO, MSCI, associate professor of medicine and section director of hospital epidemiology & antimicrobial stewardship at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. In an interview with Infection Control Today® (ICT®), they outlined how their research agenda aims to confront the financial and safety consequences of HAIs. They emphasized that the aim of a research agenda is to identify and address gaps in existing knowledge and strategize solutions to ongoing challenges. The hope is that these research agendas will help shape funding priorities and direct attention to pressing healthcare issues.
With today’s rapidly evolving healthcare scenarios, efforts are being directed towards facilitating care at home and other post-acute care settings to reduce reliance on acute care hospitals. As such, the research agenda highlights the role of genomic methods in real-time data generation and its usage to develop local preventive strategies. Importantly, the research probes into the frequency of pathogen transmission in commonly used areas and the optimal cleaning protocols.
On the subject of implementation science, Kwon explains that evidence-based research takes a considerable time to become integrated into healthcare practice, presenting a barrier to improving healthcare epidemiology. Implementation science plays a crucial role in enhancing healthcare delivery by identifying factors at the individual and organizational level that impact infection prevention across multiple healthcare settings.
The research agenda also emphasizes a multi-pronged approach to infection control that includes reducing patients’ microbial shedding, environmental cleaning, healthcare provider education, and hand hygiene.
The significance of diagnostic stewardship is also outlined, which refers to optimizing laboratory testing to improve patient care, management, and outcomes. Incorporating strategies that don’t improve patient care and can widen the healthcare inequality gap can be substantively reduced with sound diagnostic stewardship. The agenda also suggests developing performance metrics to quantify the impact of these interventions and provide meaningful feedback.
This 10-year research agenda hopes to expedite innovation in healthcare epidemiology and infection control research. By engaging underrepresented minorities in research, extending involvement to community health organizations, schools, colleges, and businesses, and adopting a global approach, the initiative aims to augment infection prevention programs and spur leaders to drive this mission forward.