Research archive

APIC has sponsored or supported the following articles and studies, listed chronologically by end date:

2018

Factors affecting annual compensation and professional development support for infection preventionists: Implications for recruitment and retention
Factors affecting annual compensation and professional development support have been studied for various healthcare professions. However, there is little understanding of these factors for infection preventionists (IPs). Full Article.

Infection prevention staffing and resources in U.S. acute care hospitals: Results from the APIC MegaSurvey
Given the changing nature of infection prevention and control (IPC), appropriate infection preventionist (IP) staffing needs to be established. In this study, we aimed to describe current IP staffing levels and IPC department resources in U.S. acute care hospitals. Full Article.

Predictors of certification in infection prevention and control among infection preventionists: APIC MegaSurvey findings
The 2015 APIC MegaSurvey was completed by 4,078 members to assess infection prevention practices. This study’s purpose was to examine MegaSurvey results to relate infection preventionist (IP) certification status with demographic characteristics, organizational structure, compensation benefits, and practice and competency factors. Full Article.

2017

APIC MegaSurvey: Methodology and overview
Infection preventionists (IPs) play key roles in preventing health care-associated infections and ensuring quality of care. To develop strategies to support comprehensive infection prevention practice, it is critical to understand key aspects of their practice. Full Article.

Infection prevention outside of the acute care setting: Results from the MegaSurvey of infection preventionists
In recent years, there has been a significant shift of health care delivery to nonacute care settings. However, research on staffing and resources dedicated to infection prevention and control (IPC) in these settings is lacking. Full Article.

Infection prevention workforce: Potential benefits to educational diversity
Nurses have historically occupied the infection preventionist (IP) role. As the knowledge and skills needed to advance the field expand, professionals from public health and the laboratory sciences have become IPs. Our study describes the characteristics of current IPs and assesses for relationships between background, certification, experience, and type of work performed. Full Article.

Understanding the current state of infection preventionists through competency, role, and activity self-assessment
The Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) MegaSurvey, administered in 2015, was completed by approximately 4,079 APIC members. The survey sought to gain a better understanding the current state of 4 components of infection prevention practice: demographic characteristics, compensation, organizational structure, and practice and competency. Full Article.

2010

Preventing Avoidable Infectious Complications by Adjusting Payment (PAICAP Project)
The goal of this study, conducted by Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, was to assess the impact of Medicare’s policy of adjusting payment for healthcare-associated infections (HAI) on health outcomes and costs in U.S. hospitals. Learn more.

2009

Prevention of Nosocomial Infections and Cost Effectiveness (P-NICE)
The first phase of Columbia University School of Nursing’s three-year, two-phase study is titled Prevention of Nosocomial Infections and Cost Effectiveness Analysis (P-NICE). This phase described infection control department staffing and interventions implemented in 415 participating intensive care units across the U.S. The second phase (P-NICER) is currently underway. Learn more.

The Changing Role of the Infection Preventionist
The Columbia University School of Nursing team and APIC designed a two-year study to evaluate the effects of the California Healthcare-Associated Infection Prevention Initiative (CHAIPI) on infection control procedures, infection rates, and changes in the role of the infection preventionist. CHAIPI sought to reduce unnecessary morbidity, mortality, and costs associated with healthcare-associated infections in California hospitals. Learn more.

2008

National U.S. Inpatient Healthcare Facility Clostridium difficile Survey
APIC conduced the largest, most comprehensive prevalence survey of C. difficile, which revealed that colonization and infection rates among hospitalized adults were much higher than previously estimated. Learn more.

2007

Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) Prevalence Study (MRSA I)
Infection preventionists at more than 1,200 U.S. hospitals provided prevalence data, demonstrating that healthcare-associated rates of MRSA were much higher than previously reported. This was the first major research study published by APIC. Learn more.