Changes in US Nursing Home Infection Prevention and Control Programs From 2014 to 2018.
Mansi Agarwal, Andrew W Dick, Mark Sorbero and 2 others
PMID 31888867WHAT IT FOUND
Nursing homes strengthened infection prevention programs between 2014 and 2018.
Antibiotic stewardship practices rose from 31.8% to 65.3%. Specialized infection control training for preventionists strongly predicted better programs, but most of the improvement was unexplained by facility factors.
Key findings
01Antibiotic stewardship practices in nursing homes increased significantly from 2014 to 2018, rising from 31.8% to 65.3% intensity.
02Specialized infection control training for the infection preventionist was strongly associated with stronger infection prevention and control programs.
03Most of the observed improvement in infection control programs was not explained by changes in facility characteristics or training levels.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study relied on self-reported survey data, which may have been inflated due to CMS requirements. No change in infection control citations was observed, suggesting reported improvements may not reflect actual compliance. The study could not directly measure the effect of CMS policies due to lack of geographic or temporal variation in implementation. Most of the improvement was unexplained by the factors measured, limiting causal interpretation.
Declared interests
Funding was provided by the National Institute of Nursing Research (N.I.H., Extramural).
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that facility characteristics like nurse staffing levels or professional training alone drive infection control improvements. The study found no effect of professional registered nurse training on these programs, and most improvements were unexplained by measured factors.