Study: Hospitals cutting back on infection-control education

Hospitals are understandably facing a lot of pressure to keep cutting down on facility-based infections. The problem is, they're also facing financial problems unlike any they've looked at in quite some time. Unfortunately, that's led to many cutting back on education related to hospital-based infections, according to study by the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology.

The association surveyed 1,943 hospital members over a week in March to determine how they were budgeting for infection-control education. Forty-four percent said they were attending fewer meetings on the subject because of budget reductions, and 42 percent said that they were conducting fewer walking rounds of hospital units.

Meanwhile, with travel budgets squeezed, fewer could attend infection control events sponsored by APIC and others, according to 45 percent of respondents.

To learn more about this issue:
- read this Modern Healthcare piece [1] (reg. req.)

Related Articles:
CA hospital project cuts HAI rates [2]
GAO says gov't needs to create HAI prevention standards [3]
Dr. Doug Woolley: CMS needs to get tough on hospital acquired infections [4]
'Bundles' help cut hospital infection rates [5]