Background: The use of evidence-based strategies to prevent and control infection is the most effective way to mitigate healthcare-associated infections. Infection control professionals (ICPs) are essential for implementing evidence-based strategies. The aim of this study was to evaluate if the installment of ICPs in Jiangsu province prevented and controlled healthcare-associated infections.
Methods: All secondary and tertiary hospitals located in thirteen major metropolitan areas of Jiangsu Province were invited to participate in a survey between July and September 2015. Heads and members of all infection control teams were asked to complete the questionnaires.
Results: Data from 105 hospitals were analyzed. Up to 98.1% of the surveyed hospitals have established an independent Infection Control Department. Most (63.8%) infection control team heads had a nursing education. On average, the participants reported 7.1 (SD = 5.7) years of work experience with infection control. Nearly half of the respondents had less than 5 years of experience as an ICP. The mean number of ICPs was 0.36 per 100 overnight beds, and the mean numbers of infection control nurses (ICNs) and infection control doctors (ICDs) were 0.21 and 0.08 per 100 overnight beds, respectively. The average numbers for major metrics to evaluate the ICPs were higher in tertiary hospitals than in secondary hospitals, except for the ICN and ICD categories (P = 0.018). Hospitals with fewer beds had more ICPs per 100 overnight beds than hospitals with more beds (P = 0.001).
Conclusions: All the surveyed hospitals have an established Infection Control Department. However, there are insufficient numbers of personnel with specialties in infection control, especially physicians, across all hospitals in Jiangsu Province, China. Hospital administrators should recruit more physicians to the infection control team and appoint them as heads of the department. A standardized certification of ICPs with different educational backgrounds is imperative for improving the composition of ICP teams in China.
