Provider Knowledge of 2013 Cystic Fibrosis Infection Prevention and Control Guidelines for Outpatient Care

Area of Science:

• Infectious Diseases
• Pulmonology
• Healthcare Management

Background:

• Chronic lung infections are common in cystic fibrosis (CF) and transmissible among patients.
• The 2013 Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF) guidelines updated infection prevention and control (IP&C) recommendations.
• Assessing staff knowledge and barriers to IP&C implementation is crucial for patient safety.

Purpose of the Study:

• Evaluate staff knowledge of 2013 CFF IP&C recommendations in outpatient CF clinics.
• Identify barriers to implementing these IP&C practices.
• Determine practice changes related to IP&C during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Main Methods:

• A multicenter study involving 20 CF centers (10 pediatric, 10 adult).
• Anonymous electronic surveys distributed to outpatient clinical care teams.
• Data collected between May and November 2022.

Main Results:

• 174 respondents from diverse healthcare professions participated.
• Awareness of written CF IP&C policies was high (72.4%), but knowledge of specific cleaning roles was lower (50.8%).
• Adherence to spirometry recommendations was high (77.1%), with perceived increases in personal protective equipment use and hand hygiene post-pandemic.

Conclusions:

• Awareness of CF infection prevention and control policies has increased since 2013.
• Specific knowledge regarding IP&C practices requires improvement among CF clinical staff.
• The COVID-19 pandemic may have positively influenced adherence to certain IP&C measures.