APIC Launches Infection Preventionist Staffing Calculator

The Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) recently announced the launch of a tool intended to help infection prevention and control leaders determine the right staffing levels for their programs and improve efforts to prevent healthcare-associated infections (HAIs).

The APIC IP Staffing Calculator was developed following a literature review of existing infection preventionist (IP) staffing models, as well as surveys from multiple participant facilities. The current beta version uses existing literature to offer recommendations for staffing ratios in acute, long-term, and ambulatory care settings based on key risk factors.

“We are excited to provide this tool to the IP field,” said APIC president Patricia Jackson. “APIC members have been asking for a resource to help quantify staffing needs for years, and now we can begin to deliver on that promise. With member input, we will be able to provide a robust, accurate staffing tool that will help IP leaders make the case for adequate staff and resources to protect patients.”

The initial version of the APIC IP staffing calculator is an exploratory approach, intended to provide a basic calculation while collecting data that can be used for development of a more rigorous algorithm. The data collected from participating facilities will be utilized to update the calculators and provide the most accurate staffing recommendations. As more IPs add their data to the system, the rigor behind the calculator’s algorithm will grow, and in the next year, an updated version will be released to reflect the accumulated data.

APIC plans routine updates to the calculator based on user feedback and changing needs, as well as annual reports containing summary data for comparison.