Impact of organizations on healthcare-associated infections

Resolving the challenges presented by healthcare-associated infections requires a 'whole healthcare economy' perspective encompassing the interactions between biological, therapeutic, and structural factors. The importance and influence of organizational characteristics is receiving increasing attention. This article reviews some keys features that can facilitate the success of patient safety initiatives related to healthcare-associated infections, and highlights areas for further consideration and research. The impact of guidelines and indicators is discussed, together with some challenges resulting from the need to maintain and sustain clinicians' commitment to desired behaviour. Novel technology solutions such as electronic healthcare games and engagement with social media platforms may serve to support and reinforce traditional patient safety improvement initiatives. Recently published essential structural components and indicators of infection prevention and control programmes stress the need for comprehensive approaches that integrate multimodal and multidisciplinary solutions and strive to reinforce an organizational culture of patient safety.