Quality & Patient Safety

Survey: Budget cuts lead to diminished IC staff, resources

Patient Safety Monitor (Briefings on Patient Safety), August 1, 2009

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A survey conducted by the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) found that 41% of facilities in the United States have reduced their infection prevention program budgets.
APIC rolled out the survey in March after hearing anecdotal evidence from its members that hospitals were cutting budgets and personnel from infection control programs to save money, mostly due to the declining economy. Nearly 2,000 of the group’s members responded, and APIC released the results in June, confirming that many facilities are struggling to address shrinking budgets as they try to make infection control and prevention a top priority.
“This is a problem because we can’t protect patients from healthcare-associated infections [HAI] without adequate numbers of properly trained professionals,” ¬ Christine Nutty, RN, MSN, CIC, president of APIC, said during the group’s annual conference in June. “We can’t provide cutting-edge care without access to the latest science and technology.”

This is an excerpt from a member only article. To read the article in its entirety, please login or subscribe to Patient Safety Monitor (Briefings on Patient Safety).

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