Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA.
Am J Infect Control. 2011 May;39(4):292-5. doi: 10.1016/j.ajic.2010.09.004. Epub 2011 Mar 31.
In January 2003, the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DHMH) assessed the state of infection prevention and control (IPC) resources and practices in all long-term care facilities (LTC) in the state. Only 8.1% of facilities that responded employed a trained IPC professional (IP) who managed the facility IPC program.
Between 2003 and 2008, the DHMH partnered with long-term care industry trade associations and spearheaded regulatory, educational, and financial initiatives to improve this situation. In January 2008, all LTC facilities in the state were resurveyed to determine the impact of these initiatives on IPC activities.
The 2008 survey indicated that 44% of LTC facilities used a trained IP who managed the IPC program, a 5-fold increase from 2003. Unpublished DHMH outbreak data indicated that LTC facilities with a trained IP recognized and reported outbreaks to the local health department 2 days sooner than facilities without a trained IP, resulting in fewer cases of disease.
Multiple initiatives with concerned stakeholders and LTC partners over the course of 5 years resulted in increased numbers of LTC facilities with trained IPs who recognized and responded to outbreaks sooner than facilities without trained IPs.
2003 年 1 月，马里兰州卫生与心理健康部（DHMH）评估了该州所有长期护理机构（LTC）的感染预防和控制（IPC）资源和实践情况。在做出回应的设施中，仅有 8.1%聘请了受过培训的感染预防控制专业人员（IP）来管理设施的 IPC 计划。
在 2003 年至 2008 年间，DHMH 与长期护理行业贸易协会合作，并率先开展了监管、教育和财政方面的举措，以改善这种情况。2008 年 1 月，对该州所有 LTC 设施进行了重新调查，以确定这些举措对 IPC 活动的影响。
2008 年的调查表明，44%的 LTC 设施使用了受过培训的 IP 来管理 IPC 计划，这比 2003 年增加了 5 倍。未公布的 DHMH 爆发数据表明，拥有受过培训的 IP 的 LTC 设施比没有受过培训的 IP 的设施更早地识别并向当地卫生部门报告爆发，从而减少了疾病的发生。
在 5 年的时间里，与利益相关者和 LTC 合作伙伴开展了多项举措，使得更多的 LTC 设施拥有受过培训的 IP，这些设施能够更早地识别和应对爆发，而没有受过培训的 IP 的设施则不然。
