The Association of Professionals of Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC), in its 2025 Annual Conference & Expo held in Phoenix, Arizona, served as a ground to introduce initiatives aimed at molding the future of infection prevention. Drawing from the insights of Dr. Rebecca Crapanzano-Sigafoos, Executive Director of the APIC Center for Research, Practice, and Innovation, with more than two decades of experience in the field, three noteworthy breakthroughs were unveiled. The APIC Research Network, the 2025 MegaSurvey, and an exhaustive guide for preventing Catheter-Associated Bloodstream Infection (CABSI) are due to take the infection prevention landscape by storm.
The APIC Research Network, launched free of cost for all APIC members, hopes to promote infection preventionist-informed and led research. By facilitating members’ collaborations, offering educational resources suited to their research experience, and creating a dedicated research community for infection prevention, the network aims to spur growth in the field.
The 2025 MegaSurvey seeks to scrutinize the changes in infection prevention practices over the past several years. As an initiative conducted every half-decade, the MegaSurvey aims to gather data to aid infection preventionists and their leaders in making informed decisions. Through the MegaSurvey, successfully completed by at least 7,000 out of 15,000 APIC members, APIC expects to provide insights on prevailing practices in other programs, aiding in program upgrades and improvements.
The third major advancement involves the CABSI Implementation Guide for Adults, a 71-page comprehensive toolkit funded through a grant. Intended to assist infection preventionists in expanding their surveillance activities, the guide delineates the basics of vascular access devices and provides comparative analyses among different types of PICCs and central lines. The guide aims to arm professionals from microbiology, public health, nursing, and related backgrounds with the know-how to create an effective CABSI prevention program. Also embedded in the guide are decision support tools and algorithms, as well as templates to aid in decision-making around facility practices where no evidence-based guidelines exist.
Dr. Crapanzano-Sigafoos points out that the constant shifts in the healthcare landscape pose challenges for infection preventionists. Concerns about continuous funding and the fear of budget cuts contribute to the unease in the field, prompting the need to rethink funding strategies for future research endeavors.
Participating in the annual APIC conference, according to Dr. Crapanzano-Sigafoos, is akin to a joyful Christmas-family reunion combo, filled with learning opportunities. The event not only aids in catching up with colleagues and understanding current practices, but it also facilitates networking and brainstorming for personal practice enhancements. APIC continually strives to honor trailblazing leaders in infection prevention and control for their contributions to elevating patient safety through research, leadership, and everyday practice.
Source: https://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/view/research-resources-reconnection-what-s-new-apic-2025