Patient Education for Infection Prevention: Roles for Managers in Patient Engagement

Abstract

Device-related healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), such as catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) and central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs), are largely preventable. Patients have the potential to contribute to HAI prevention when they are educated about their risks and actions they can take to mitigate those risks. However, there is little evidence regarding what patient education is needed to engage patients in the prevention of these infections. This study examined perspectives of hospital leaders, managers, and frontline staff about the use of patient education to support CAUTI and CLABSI prevention efforts. The Engagement Capacity Framework (ECF) was used to understand how our findings about patient education may impact patient engagement in infection prevention. Interviews with 471 key informants were conducted across 18 hospitals. Participants identified patient education topics specific to the prevention of CAUTIs and CLABSIs, as well as patient education challenges and opportunities for improvement. Based on these education topics, aspects of the four ECF dimensions–patient resources, self-efficacy, willingness, and capabilities–necessary to engage in infection prevention were identified, which informed suggested roles for managers to support patient engagement through patient education. These educational topics and suggestions for managers can help guide successful strategies to engage patients in infection prevention.