Long-term care facilities lack necessary resources — especially qualified personnel — to deploy full infection control programs, according to research presented at the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology's 44th Annual Conference.
Public health researchers from Tennessee and Washington assessed 43 long-term care facilities' infection prevention proficiency using a tool from the CDC.
Of the 43 assessed facilities, they found most infection control officers had little to no formal training and did not have skills for proper infection prevention. They cited high staff turnover as a barrier to implementing proper infection control programs.
Linda Greene, RN, president of APIC, called the findings "concerning" and said they should "prompt immediate efforts to increase education and support for infection prevention programs in all types of LTCFs."
Colleen Roberts, one of the researchers on the project, said the findings were especially troubling because "LTCFs admit sicker patients in higher numbers than in the past."