International Infection Prevention Week (IIPW) 2024 officially kicked off on Sunday, October 13th. The Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC)— one of the world’s leading professional associations for infection prevention professionals—has chosen “moving the needle on infection prevention” as its annual theme. A quick online search of the phrase’s origins yields a plethora of possibilities, from sewing to sound and music recording devices and even steam engines’ gauges at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. Regardless of where the idiom originated, “moving the needle” generally means making a significant and measurable impact.
Unarguably, to move the infection prevention needle, we need universal acceptance, support and action. The COVID-19 pandemic taught its global audience that preventing infections is not just a priority within the walls of healthcare facilities, but also in our homes, workplaces, schools, agricultural industry and beyond. While healthcare organizations hopefully have persons dedicated to infection prevention, non-healthcare institutions and businesses need to build and maintain partnerships with their local and regional public health organizations. Public health departments and ministries have protected and cared for our communities long before the pandemic, and continue to provide critical services such as vaccinations, communicable disease testing and treatment, nutrition services, infant wellness and disaster response (just to name a few!). We cannot make waves (or move needles!) in infection prevention without a solid public health foundation.
Looking within healthcare facilities, we are seeing major shifts in infection prevention resources, as many experienced infection prevention professionals are leaving the field. This significant exodus, combined with an already expected high number of Baby Boomer IP retirees, could stagnate efforts in our most vulnerable populations (including hospitalized and surgical patients, long-term care residents, the immunocompromised, etc.) While many lay people don’t know who infection preventionists are and what they do to protect people from harm, the loss of these professionals makes facilities more vulnerable to internal and external disease threats. In fact, in a peer-reviewed study published the week before IIPW, hospitals with understaffed infection prevention departments were shown to have worse healthcare-associated infection (HAI) outcomes (Bartles et al 2024).
In my own small corner of infection prevention, I have witnessed many colleagues with decades of experience walk away from their positions. In fact, I left my hospital after 22 years of service due to burnout, mental and emotional fatigue. Losing an experienced IP doesn’t just mean the loss of accumulated infection prevention knowledge and expertise, it also means the loss of the strong relationships and embedded trust they built with hundreds of healthcare colleagues they’ve interacted with throughout the years. Notably, many different healthcare fields have experienced high turnover and attrition since the COVID-19 pandemic, but IPs are unique in that many healthcare facilities only had one or two of them to start. When an IP leaves, it can take months to fill that position. Once positions are filled, it can be a struggle to build and sustain partnerships, in addition to learning the job itself and a facility’s nuances.
So, how can we collectively move the needle on infection prevention? As healthcare professionals, we need to support our infection prevention programs. Know that when an opportunity is identified to clean our hands or disinfect equipment or put on the correct personal protective equipment, these reminders are rooted in a passion to protect one another and our patients and residents. Collectively, we are responsible for understanding our department’s hand hygiene compliance rates and the HAI trends and patterns that impact our patient populations. Healthcare leaders must recognize the value of infection prevention programs and advocate for adequately staffed departments. For leaders in healthcare organizations experiencing financial losses and budget cuts, know that decreasing infection prevention positions is equal to increasing the likelihood of HAIs.
How can the public help move the needle?
Speaking of needles, one of the greatest opportunities to protect one another, our families and ourselves is through routine vaccination. The World Health Organization reports that millions of children are missing critical vaccinations, and that overall vaccine coverage has dropped since the pandemic. The decrease in vaccine coverage has already led to increased outbreaks globally. While we must continue fundamental infection prevention practices like hand washing, cleaning and disinfection and respiratory etiquette (covering coughs and sneezes), an increase in vaccine-preventable illnesses is a threat to us all.
When you identify or experience distrust or are hesitant about vaccinations, connect with your healthcare provider or local public health department. Look to sources who have provided health resources to your family and community before looking to the internet.