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National survey of infectious disease fellowship program directors: A call for subspecialized training in infection prevention and control and healthcare epidemiology
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 04 January 2024
Abstract
Objective:
The importance of infection prevention and control and healthcare epidemiology (IPC/HE) in healthcare facilities was highlighted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Infectious disease (ID) clinicians often hold leadership positions in IPC/HE teams; however, there is no standard for training or certification of ID physicians specializing in IPC/HE. We evaluated the current state of IPC/HE training in ID fellowship programs.
Design:
A national survey of ID fellowship program directors was conducted to assess current IPC/HE training components in programs and plans for expanded offerings.
Setting and participants:
All ID fellowship program directors in the United States and Puerto Rico.
Methods:
Surveys were distributed using Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap) to program directors in March 2023, with 2 reminder emails; the survey closed after 4 weeks.
Results:
Of 166 program directors, 54 (32.5%) responded to the survey. Among respondent programs, 49 (90.7%) of 54 programs reported didactic training in IPC/HE averaging 4.4 hours over the course of the fellowship. Also, 18 (33.3%) of 54 reported a dedicated IPC/HE training track. Furthermore, 23 programs (42.6%) reported barriers to expanding training. There was support (n = 47, 87.0%) for formal IPC/HE certification from a professional society within the standard fellowship.
Conclusions:
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic highlighting the need for ID medical doctors with IPC/HE expertise, formal training in ID fellowship remains limited. Most program directors support formalization of IPC/HE training by a professional organization. Creation of standardized advanced curriculums for ID fellowship training in IPC/HE could be considered by the Society of Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) to grow, retain, and enhance the IPC/HE physician workforce.
- Type
- Original Article
- Information
- Copyright
- © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America
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