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Infection preventionists report increased preparedness since Ebola outbreak
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More than 90% of infection control leaders believe their facilities are better prepared now to receive patients with lethal infectious diseases than 1 year ago, according to a recent survey.
“We are encouraged to learn that our members feel their facilities are more prepared to handle patients with highly lethal infectious diseases, and to know that some infection prevention and control departments have obtained additional staff and resources,” Susan Dolan, RN, CIC, president-elect of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) and hospital epidemiologist at Children’s Hospital Colorado, said in a press release. “But with the ongoing threat of emerging infectious diseases and antibiotic-resistant organisms, we remain concerned that many facilities are lagging behind in providing adequate support to protect patients and health care workers.
Susan Dolan
“We urge health care leaders to assess the needs of their infection prevention programs and dedicate the necessary staff, training and technology resources to this critical area.”
APIC distributed a 16-question online poll to its members from Sept. 24 to Sept. 30, with questions regarding infection prevention staffing, preparation and available resources. Where possible, responses were compared with an Ebola readiness poll conducted by APIC from October 2014.
There were 981 responses collected from infection preventionists practicing in acute care hospitals. Among respondents, 53.2% reported one or fewer preventionists assigned to their infection prevention and control (IPC) departments. While 10% of respondents received additional IPC personnel and 37% received staff training support, 55.2% reported that their facilities have not provided any additional IPC resources as a result of the Ebola outbreak.
Respondents were most often from facilities with fewer than 100 beds (31.1%) or more than 400 beds (23.2%), and 41.5% said they were responsible for IPC at multiple facilities
Approximately 92% of participants said their facility was better prepared for a highly lethal infectious disease than it was 1 year ago, and more often claimed to be prepared than not. Nearly three-quarters reported adequate personal protective equipment was available, and 62.4% said they are continuing to train staff on Ebola patient management.
“Though progress has been made toward addressing unanticipated, deadly threats like Ebola, there is still more to do to address infection prevention programs overall,” APIC CEO Katrina Crist, MBA, said in the press release. “We can’t wait for the next crisis to get ready.”