Researchers analyzed data from the 2015 APIC MegaSurvey, which was completed by 4,078 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology members.
Forty-seven percent of survey respondents had their certification in infection prevention and control. Infection preventionists were less likely certified if:
• They worked in rural facilities
• Their educational attainment was less than a bachelor’s degree
• They were aged between 18 and 45 years
• They had less than 16 years experience in healthcare before becoming an IP
• The percentage of job dedicated to infection prevention was less than 75 percent
“Additional research should focus on identifying strategies to increase certification among noncertified [infection preventionists] because [certification in infection prevention and control] is a measure of proficiency that should be a goal for all [infection preventionists],” study authors concluded.
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