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Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) workforce staffing ratios are challenging to quantify, due to the lack of strong evidence and recommendations within this space.
IPC programs operate with significant work demands and responsibilities to consumers, patients, and the workforce. The scope of IPC professionals is enormous, encompassing programs that include surveillance, staff health, policy development and guidance, data collection and interventions, education, and antimicrobial stewardship, and as such require skilled, knowledgeable, and dedicated professionals within the workforce.
Current evidence suggests that bed numbers alone are inadequate to calculate an IPC staffing ratio and do not take into consideration factors that address IPC program requirements[1]. The size and setting of the organisation, scope of work, IPC program design and structure, services offered within the organisation, the local population, and mandatory reporting requirements all make benchmarking staff ratios challenging. Emerging research suggests that health service organisations undertake a self-assessment to determine the needs for their specific organisation[2]. A summary of the current evidence is available in the ACIPC position statement ACIPC IPC workforce Guidance document.
- Mitchell BG, MacBeth D, Halton K, Gardner A, Hall L: Resourcing hospital infection prevention and control units in Australia: A discussion paper. Infection, Disease & Health 2017, 22(2):83-88.
- Bartles R, Dickson A, Babade O: A systematic approach to quantifying infection prevention staffing and coverage needs. Am J Infect Control 2018, 46(5):487-491.