The Case For Infection Prevention And Control Software

By Colin Hung, P.Eng and Phil Cheney, RL Solutions

Hospital acquired infections (HAIs) are a significant clinical and safety issue in healthcare today. Most organizations have Infection Control Practitioners (ICPs), more commonly known as Infection Preventionists (IPs), and processes in place to help prevent HAIs. However, the Center for Disease Control estimates that the cost of infections is approximately $600,000 per year for an average 280-bed hospital. In addition to the financial implications of infections, they can also contribute to potential legal exposure, have a negative impact on organizational reputation and compromise the overall safety of patients and staff.

The ability to monitor and track infections is also becoming a burden. According to the Hospital Association of Southern California, routine surveillance now takes up roughly 25-30% of an IP's time. Freeing up IPs' time to handle the growing list of infection prevention tasks is critical to the successful operation of any healthcare organization: outbreak investigations, epidemiologic investigations, prevention measures, disaster planning and even bioterrorism.