The findings from a first-of-its-kind study published today in American Journal of Infection Control (AJIC) suggest that preventive infections experienced deterioration in mental and physical health as a result of stressors related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The study, which assessed health, well-being, preventive infections and their association with workplace wellness programs, highlights the need to correct hospital and health care system issues that cause burnout and ill-health, and to strengthen programs and culture of wellness in the workplace.
Infection preventionists are responsible for reducing the risk of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) in hospitals and other healthcare facilities, including long-term care facilities and outpatient surgeries. During the COVID-19 pandemic, these professionals have had to manage rapidly changing guidelines, dramatic increases in HAIs and workloads, and shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE) and personnel, among other challenges. “Infectious disease prevention has been actively involved in the management of the COVID-19 pandemic for more than two years, yet there has been no study assessing their health and well-being and how these relate to wellness programs and workplace culture,” Bernadette stated. Mazurek Melnyk, Ph.D., chief of wellness and dean of the College of Nursing at The Ohio State University and lead author of the study. “This is important information because poor health and well-being among infection prevention professionals not only adversely affects them, but also negatively affects the quality and safety of healthcare.” Dr. Melnyk and colleagues developed research investigating mental/physical health and lifestyle behaviors of preventive infections during the pandemic, as well as associations of these factors with individuals’ occupational roles, perceived workplace wellness support, shift length and race/ethnicity. The survey was emailed to a random sample of members of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC), the leading organization for infection prevention. Responses from 926 professionals showed that the physical and mental health of infection preventionists was negatively affected during the pandemic, and that people’s work roles, the level of wellness support they received in the workplace and shifts were primary factors. Specific findings include:

Large numbers of respondents reported that the COVID-19 pandemic has negatively affected their mental (74%) and/or physical (60%) health. Rates of depression, anxiety and burnout among respondents were 21.5%, 29.8% and 65.2% respectively. Most respondents said the pandemic had negatively affected their sleep (77%), physical activity (64.5%) and healthy eating (61.1%). Frontline professionals (74.1%) and infection prevention managers/directors (76.3%) had more negative mental health impacts than peers in other roles (eg, educator, researcher, public health professional). Infection preventionists who worked 9-11+ hours a day were more likely to report worsening physical/mental health during the pandemic compared to their peers who worked Infection preventionists with organizational wellness support were less likely to report negative mental and physical impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The study’s authors suggest that healthcare organizations take multiple steps to better protect the health and safety of infection preventionists, including fixing system problems known to cause staff burnout and ill health (eg, short staffing). , implementing targeted interventions to promote resilience and self-care and establishing shorter shifts. “Infection prevention has been instrumental in enabling healthcare facilities to provide safe care during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Linda Dickey, RN, MPH, CIC, FAPIC, 2022 APIC chair. “The fact that so many are experiencing symptoms of burnout is concerning and should prompt employers to adopt programs to promote well-being in order to retain these highly skilled professionals.”
Associations between nurse well-being, workplace wellness cultures, and shift length during COVID-19 More information: Associations between infection prevention professionals’ mental/physical health, lifestyle behaviors, shift length, fighting and supporting wellness in the workplace during COVID-19, American Journal of Infection Control (2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.ajic.2022.04.004 Provided by the Association of Infection Control Professionals Reference: New data shows that the COVID-19 pandemic has negatively affected the mental and physical health of preventable infections (2022, July 14) retrieved July 14, 2022 from
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