ETC 52 - New IP. Who Dis? Reforging Relationships and Infection Prevention Outreach Amid High Facility Staff Attrition

Background: Although it is subjectively recognized there is frequent turnover of infection preventionists (IP) in skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), currently no method to track IP turnover exists. From January 2021 to July 2023, Michigan’s Infection Prevention Resource and Assessment Team (IPRAT) noted some facilities had replaced IPs up to three times. This is concerning for the profession and overall IP program at SNFs. Additionally, a standard hand-off process between outgoing and incoming IPs does not exist. Awareness regarding these issues can generate strategies to retain and transfer institutional knowledge through the longevity of IPs.

Methods: A Qualtrics survey was sent to 55 SNFs in Michigan in 2023. The questions included: IP’s role(s), training, years of experience, involvement with IPRAT, and process for hand-off. Excel was used to perform descriptive statistics.

Results: Thirty responses (55% of targeted facilities) were used for analysis. Facilities experienced an IP attrition rate of 57% (total individuals serving as IPs ranging from 1-5 per facility). Current IPs were mostly part-time (n=18; 60%) and served as Directors of Nursing (18; 60%). 57% (n=17) of IPs had between 1-5 years of experience in IP and 53% (n=16) were 1-5 years (n=8) at their facility. No hand-off process occurred at 37% (n=11) of facilities.

Conclusions: Based on our findings, facilities are not retaining IPs after one to two years. Insight as to why facilities are experiencing such high rates of turnover should be addressed to find a sustainable remedy to this problem. Additionally, approximately 40% of IPs did not have a hand-off, which could lead to insecurities in their role. This process should involve the outgoing IP and consist of a full review of the facility’s risk assessment, areas of concern, and facility surveys.