resources on our infection prevention programs and efforts so that this critically important work is sustainable over time .”
Talbot and Yokoe share their thoughts on the 2023 data from the HAI progress report .
“ If you think about the infections that we report , there are very specific practices that would influence those single infections , but underlying that underlying that are behaviors , trends , accountability and attention to detail that fuse into all of those ,” Talbot remarks . “ If I ’ m going to handle a central line , I need to do so appropriately and make sure I scrub the hub every time I access it . Or if I ’ m going to provide perineal care for a Foley catheter , I ’ m going to ensure I follow the proper protocol . Or if I ’ m going to prescribe antibiotics , I must ensure they are given correctly and appropriately , and I stop them when appropriate . All of these practices have impacts on those specific HAIs , but we also need to develop an accountability mindset , and an attention to detail that feeds performance . I think it goes back to the fact that our frontline healthcare providers have been able to breathe more since the end of the pandemic ,
The negative impacts on HAI outcomes that we saw at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent improvements that we ’ ve achieved through reprioritizing HAI prevention efforts highlight the importance of healthcare facilities focusing enough resources on our infection prevention programs and efforts so that this critically important work is sustainable over time .” — Deborah Yokoe , MD , MPH , FSHEA
particularly members of the IP & C teams , so that they can continue to focus on HAI-prevention skills on a daily basis , and consequently , these practices are becoming more hardwired in healthcare facilities .”
Yokoe says she agrees with Talbot , adding , “ During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021 and 2022 , we saw increases in HAIs across the board . It was eye-opening and shocking to many , many healthcare facilities ,” she says . “ This prompted healthcare institutions to invest a great deal of effort and resources into building back their HAI prevention programs . I know that was true at my healthcare facility . Much time and effort went into preventing those major categories of HAI , leading to the improvements that we ’ ve seen in many of the HAI categories the past one to two years . It does worry me that so much effort was focused on HAI prevention that it may have made facilities complacent about the importance of creating the infrastructure needed to have the flexibility and bandwidth sustain that core work even when we ’ re faced with future big health crises or pandemics The sustainability issue is going to be key . As Dr . Talbot mentioned , that means that we have to build in those essential HAI prevention practices into standard work that ’ s expected to be performed by not just IP & C personnel but by everyone providing healthcare . That ’ s the way that we ’ re going to be able to maintain the business of quality improvement over time .”
Renewed Focus on Resourcing IP & C Programs
In a presentation at the 2024 annual conference of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology ( APIC ) , “ Opportunities for the Future of Infection Prevention & Control : The APIC / SHEA Presidents ’ Perspective ,” Talbot and APIC president Tania Bubb had provided their perspectives on key issues within the infection prevention and control ( IP & C ) sector . Talbot had explained that moving out of the pandemic , there has been progression away from a singular focus on COVID-19 , with increased awareness of infection prevention and risks of infectious-pathogen transmission .
“ I think there is lemonade to be made from the lemons of the pandemic and that there ’ s an increased awareness of infection prevention by individuals who I don ’ t think had that awareness before 2020 in terms of transmission of pathogens to others , the risks associated with working while sick , etc . and that can be a double-edged sword ,” he said . “ But it ’ s an opportunity for us as infection prevention experts to highlight our expertise and demonstrate the impact of our IP & C programs through HAI reduction , clinical operations and regulatory compliance across multiple types of healthcare facilities . I think that we must ensure that our voice is heard , that it ’ s not just reducing those HAIs that are reported but other infectious harms and really impacting the operations of the healthcare facility in a positive way , such as introducing efficiencies and reducing waste , making sure that we ’ re meeting all the standards to make to have healthcare as safe as it can possibly be for everyone in the healthcare facility .”
In their June 2024 presentation Talbot alluded to the impending 2025 release of the whitepaper from the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America ( SHEA ) that will address resourcing for IP & C programs . Talbot had said the whitepaper intends to raise the bar on how these programs are resourced and structured so that they examine all types of healthcare-related harms . “ That ’ s going to really push the needle ,” he had said , adding that there will be a new transition from being merely “ active ” in one ’ s IP & C program , to actually being maximally effective .
“ One thing that you ’ re going to hear from our societies in 2025 is the need to make infection prevention programs foundational in all healthcare facilities and that they don ’ t just address those infections that are in the HAI Progress Report ,” Talbot says . “ There are other infectious harms that can happen in healthcare that infection prevention can really impact , but we have to make sure that the programs are appropriately structured , resourced and empowered to succeed . In this whitepaper we use the terminology of moving from an ‘ active ’ program to a ‘ maximally effective ’ program . The descriptor ‘ active ’ comes from the conditions of participation from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services ( CMS )
I think there is lemonade to be made from the lemons of the pandemic and that there ’ s an increased awareness of infection prevention by individuals who I don ’ t think had that awareness before 2020 in terms of transmission of pathogens to others , the risks associated with working while sick , etc . and that can be a double-edged sword .”
jan-feb 2025 • www . healthcarehygienemagazine . com •
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