Infection prevention and control research priorities: what do we need to combat healthcare-associated infections and antimicrobial resistance? Results of a narrative literature review and survey analysis.

Background: Infection prevention and control (IPC) is one of the most cost-effective interventions against antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Yet, IPC knowledge gaps often receive little prominence in AMR research agendas. In this article, we construct IPC research priorities, in order to draw attention to these critical research needs.

Methods: We developed a 4-step framework to identify IPC knowledge gaps from literature (narrative review). These gaps were then translated into research priorities and sent to two groups of European IPC experts for validation and critique through an online survey.

Results: Seventy-nine publications were retrieved from the literature review, identifying fifteen IPC research gaps. Forty-four IPC experts, clustered in two groups, vetted them. The experts classified all research gaps as medium or high priority. Overall agreement between both groups was average (Kendall's τ = 0.43), with strong alignment on the highest priorities: (i) the assessment of organizational, socio-economic, and behavioural barriers/facilitators for the implementation of IPC programmes, (ii) the impact of overcrowding on the spread of infections and (iii) the impact of infrastructural changes, at facility level, on the reduction of infections. Feedback from experts also identified an additional research gap on the interaction between the human and hospital microbiomes.

Conclusions: We formulated a list of sixteen research priorities and identified three urgent needs. Now, we encourage researchers, funding agencies, policymakers and relevant stakeholders to start addressing the identified gaps.