Groups Call for Adoption of HAI Elimination Framework

Several organizations representing the infection prevention and control community are pushing for the adoption of a set of interventions, or a framework, aimed to control and eradicate healthcare-acquired infections (HAIs). In a new white paper appearing in the latest issue of Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, groups such as the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) and the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC), are advocating for a comprehensive framework that encompasses the collection of infection data, the implementation of evidence-based practices as well as system-wide infection-prevention strategies, plus the use of enhanced knowledge to help battle multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) and the infections they trigger.

In Moving toward Elimination of Healthcare-Associated Infections: A Call to Action, the authors, which include representatives from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), note, Elimination will require the implementation of evidence-based practices, the alignment of financial incentives, the closing of knowledge gaps, and the acquisition of information to assess progress and to enable response to emerging threats. These efforts must be underpinned by substantial research investments, the development of novel prevention tools, improved organizational and personal accountabilities, strong collaboration among a broad coalition of public and private stakeholders, and a clear national will to succeed in this arena. 

To read further, visit: http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/pdf/10.1086/656912