Global infection prevention gaps, needs, and utilization of educational resources: A cross-sectional assessment by the International Society for Infectious Diseases
Date
2019
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Elsevier
Abstract
Objective: The Guide to Infection Control in the Hospital (Guide) is an open access resource produced by the
International Society for Infectious Diseases (ISID) to assist in the prevention of infection acquisition and
transmission worldwide. A survey was distributed to 8055 current Guide users to understand their needs.
Methods: The survey consisted of 48-questions regarding infection prevention and control (IPC)
availability and needs. Dichotomous questions, Likert scale-type questions, and open-and closed-ended
questions were used.
Results: Respondents (n = 1121) from 194 countries and six WHO regions participated in the survey. 43%
(488) identified as physicians. Personal protective equipment (PPE) availability, training, and
antimicrobial susceptibility testing varied between regions. Only 11% of respondents from low-income
countries reported consistent access to respiratory equipment, 12% to isolation gowns, 4% to negative
pressure rooms or personnel trained in IPC, and 20% to antimicrobial resistance testing. This differed
significantly to high and upper middle-income resource settings (p < 0.05). 80% of all respondents used
smartphones or tablets at the workplace.
Conclusions: This survey demonstrates varied access to IPC equipment and training between high and low-
income settings worldwide. Our results demonstrated many respondents across all regions utilize mobile
technology, providing opportunities for rapid distribution of resource specific, up-to-date IPC content.
Description
CITATION: Desai, A. N., et al. 2019. Global infection prevention gaps, needs, and utilization of educational resources: A cross-sectional assessment by the International Society for Infectious Diseases. International Journal of Infectious Diseases, 82: 54-60, doi:10.1016/j.ijid.2019.02.017.
The original publication is available at https://www.clinicalkey.com/
The original publication is available at https://www.clinicalkey.com/
Keywords
Infections -- Prevention, Antimicrobial drugs -- Resistance, Communicable diseases -- Control, Medical technology
Citation
Desai, A. N., et al. 2019. Global infection prevention gaps, needs, and utilization of educational resources: A cross-sectional assessment by the International Society for Infectious Diseases. International Journal of Infectious Diseases, 82: 54-60, doi:10.1016/j.ijid.2019.02.017