Current status of personnel and infrastructure resources for infection prevention and control programs in the Republic of Korea: A national survey.
There is significant variability in personnel and infrastructural resources for infection prevention and control (IPC) among health care institutions. The aim of this study is to evaluate the current status of individual hospital-based IPC programs in the Republic of Korea (ROK).



A multicenter cross-sectional survey of 100 hospitals participating in the national surveillance programs for multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) in the ROK was conducted in September 2015. The survey consisted of 140 standardized Web-based questionnaires.



The survey response rate was 41.0%. The responding hospitals are largely organized with multibed rooms, with an insufficient numbers of single rooms. Employment status of infection specialists and hand hygiene resources were better in larger hospitals. The responding hospitals had 1 full-time infection control nurse per 400.3 ± 154.1 beds, with wide variations in training and experience. Facilities have great diversity in their approach to preventing MDROs. There appeared to be no difference in supplies consumption and protocols for IPC among the hospitals, stratified according to size.



A greater availability of specialist personnel, single rooms, and a comprehensive IPC program, with the support of a policy-oriented management, is necessary to achieve effective IPC.
Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea; Infection Control Unit, Korea University Medical Center, Seoul, Republic of Korea; Institute of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Young Kyung
YK
Yoon
Infection Control Unit, Korea University Medical Center, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Sung Eun
SE
Lee
Infection Control Unit, Korea University Medical Center, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Beom Sam
BS
Seo
Infection Control Unit, Korea University Medical Center, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Hyeon Jeong
HJ
Kim
Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Jong Hun
JH
Kim
Biostatistics, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Kyung Sook
KS
Yang
Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea; Infection Control Unit, Korea University Medical Center, Seoul, Republic of Korea; Institute of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Min Ja
MJ
Kim
Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea; Infection Control Unit, Korea University Medical Center, Seoul, Republic of Korea; Institute of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: jwsohn@korea.ac.kr.
Jang Wook
JW
Sohn
D003428:Cross Infection / Q000517:prevention & control*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D006295:Health Resources; D006801:Humans; D017053:Infection Control / Q000379:methods*; D016357:Infection Control Practitioners / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D056910:Republic of Korea
Infection control; Multidrug resistance organism; Resource; Staffing