After Carilion Clinic increased its infection prevention and control team from 11 to 24 full-time personnel, the Roanoke, Va.-based system saw a significant decrease in healthcare-associated infections.
Between 2020 and 2023, as the eight-hospital system hired more infection prevention staff, catheter-associated urinary tract infections fell 57%, Clostridioides difficile infections dropped 52%, colon surgical site infections declined 26% and central line-associated bloodstream infections decreased 16%.
Maimuna Jatta, RN, MSN, Carilion Clinic’s director of infection prevention and control, said infection prevention leaders should spotlight the financial ROI when advocating for more staff.
“IP leaders should collaborate with finance [executives] to analyze the cost per HAI event, project potential savings from reduction of HAIs and build a data-driven business case for additional IP staffing and infrastructure,” Ms. Jatta said in a June 18 news release from the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology.
