Study: Infection prevention control staffing guidance should account for teams

Administrators and policymakers should update infection prevention control staffing guidance to better account for team-based practices used in large health systems, according to an American Journal of Infection Control study. The researchers distributed a national survey to U.S. acute care hospitals participating in the National Healthcare Safety Network from August to December 2023 assessing IPC staffing, resource availability and organizational structure. Nearly 75% of the 741 responding hospitals were system affiliated, and 191 were freestanding. Freestanding hospitals had higher IPC staffing intensity, while system-affiliated hospitals employed larger overall teams. System-affiliated hospitals reported increased access to electronic surveillance and analytical and administrative support. The researchers say administrators and policymakers should develop context-aware IPC staffing models that account for the structural diversity of U.S. hospitals. (American Journal of Infection Control article, 7/8/26)