Development of infection prevention program standards for critical access hospitals

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Infection Prevention and Control
• Hospital Administration

Background:

• Critical access hospitals (CAHs) face unique challenges in maintaining comprehensive infection prevention programs despite limited resources.
• Existing infection prevention standards may not fully address the specific operational contexts of CAHs.
• Adequate staffing is crucial for effective infection prevention activities in any healthcare setting.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and implement evidence-based infection prevention program standards for CAHs.
• To align these standards with established professional competency models.
• To estimate the necessary staffing levels (full-time equivalents) for effective program implementation.

Main Methods:

• Program standards were developed based on the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) competency model domains.
• These standards were implemented within a midwestern healthcare system serving CAHs.
• Time estimates were assigned to each infection prevention activity to calculate staffing requirements.

Main Results:

• The study successfully developed and implemented comprehensive infection prevention program standards tailored for CAHs.
• Time estimates provided a data-driven basis for determining staffing needs.
• Extrapolation of time estimates offered guidance on required full-time equivalents for adequate infection prevention staffing.

Conclusions:

• Implementing structured infection prevention programs is feasible and essential for CAHs.
• Accurate time estimation for infection prevention activities is key to justifying and securing adequate staffing.
• This framework can guide CAHs in optimizing their infection prevention resources and ensuring patient safety.