Evaluation of infection prevention and control programmes according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and the World Health Organization in Spain 2012-2022: indicators of core component 1.

Background: Key and core components of effective infection prevention and control programmes (IPCPs) issued by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have been described. WHO core component 1 relates to the structure, organization and management of IPCPs.

Aim: The objective of this study was to assess the status and the time trends of some indicators of core component 1 of IPCPs in acute hospitals in Spain throughout the period 2012-2022.

Methods: Hospital-level data from the Spanish point prevalence survey for years 2012-2022 were analysed. Core component 1 indicators were calculated and tested for association to healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). In addition, trends were also examined.

Results: Overall, 67.0% and 57.2% of Spanish hospitals reported having an annual infection prevention and control (IPC) plan and an annual IPC report that was approved by the hospital managing director, respectively. The global median number of full-time equivalent (FTE) IPC nurses per 250 beds for the period was 0.87 and the global median number of FTE IPC doctors was 0.70. The rates of blood cultures and stool tests for Clostridioides difficile were 39.9 and 6.1 per 1000 patient-days, respectively. No significant correlation was found between core component 1 indicators and HAI prevalence.

Conclusion: Spain is currently at a basic level on the structure, organization and management of IPCPs. Profound differences were found between hospitals depending on size and type.