Assessing Infection Control Practices Among EMS Providers in Prehospital Settings: A Comprehensive Study Examining Compliance and Barriers

Abstract

Background: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) are responsible for around 1.7 million infections and thousands of deaths every year. These infections have a substantial financial impact, costing the U.S. healthcare system billions annually. Despite the importance of infection control practices in any healthcare setting, there is a substantial gap in research specifically addressing these practices in prehospital settings. Objective: This project addresses this gap comprehensively by exploring infection control practices among emergency medical services (EMS) providers during field operations. The specific aims of this study are (1) Evaluate the level of compliance with infection control guidelines among EMS providers in prehospital settings and (2) Identify barriers and enablers to adherence to infection control guidelines among EMS providers in prehospital settings. Methods: Aim 1: Direct, real-time observations to assess compliance of EMS providers with infection control guidelines during prehospital care and upon arrival at healthcare facilities. To my knowledge, this approach has not been employed before in assessing all relevant infection control practices among EMS providers while collecting demographic and contextual data to investigate meaningful associations. Aim 2: An exploratory mixed method design was utilized to gain a deeper understanding of barriers and enablers influencing infection control among EMS providers in prehospital settings and to examine how demographic and background factors may contribute to these influences. Results: The findings of aim 1 indicate notable inconsistency in IPC compliance; this inconsistency can be explained by demographic and contextual data, as the findings show. Aim 2 findings showed that IPC compliance is influenced by different factors, as providers suggested. Together, these findings represent the first comprehensive assessment of IPC compliance of all relevant IPC practices in prehospital settings based on actual field data, and they offer possible explanations and potential associations to explain the current compliance rates. These project findings could pave the way for further research in this area and also lead to the development of evidence-based strategies to improve infection control practices in prehospital settings.