Infection prevention and control (IPC) is crucial for patient safety. The World Health Organization (WHO) has released various tools to promote IPC. In 2018, the WHO released the Infection Prevention and Control Assessment Framework (IPCAF) that enables acute care healthcare facilities to evaluate IPC structures and practices. Data regarding IPC implementation in Austria are scarce. To deliver insights into this topic and promote the IPCAF within the Austrian IPC community, we decided to invite all Austrian hospitals participating in the German nosocomial infection surveillance system to conduct a self-assessment using the WHO IPCAF. The IPCAF follows the eight WHO core components of IPC. A German translation of the IPCAF was sent to 127 Austrian acute care hospitals. The survey period was from October to December 2018. Participation in the survey, data entry and transfer to the German national reference center for surveillance of healthcare-associated infections was on a voluntary basis. Altogether, 65 Austrian hospitals provided a complete dataset. The overall median IPCAF score of all hospitals was 620 (of a possible maximum score of 800), which corresponded to an advanced level of IPC. Of the 65 hospitals, 38 achieved an advanced IPC level. Deeper analysis of the different core components yielded diverse results. Scores were lowest for core components on multimodal strategies for implementation of IPC interventions, and IPC education and training. Around 26% (n = 17) of hospitals reported that the local IPC team was not steadily supported by an IPC committee. Senior clinical staff was not present in the IPC committee in 23% (n = 15) of hospitals. Only 26% (n = 17) of hospitals reported employing at least one IPC professional per ≤250 beds. Surveillance for multidrug-resistant pathogens was not conducted in 26% (n = 17) of hospitals. Implementation of IPC key aspects is generally at a high level in Austria. However, potentials for improvement were demonstrated, most prominently with regard to staffing, IPC education and training, effective implementation of multimodal strategies, and involvement of professional groups. Our survey demonstrated that the IPCAF is a useful tool for IPC self-assessment and can uncover deficits even in a high-income setting like Austria.

中文翻译：

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使用WHO感染预防和控制评估框架评估奥地利急诊医院的感染预防和控制计划。

感染预防和控制（IPC）对于患者安全至关重要。世界卫生组织（WHO）发布了各种工具来促进IPC。2018年，世卫组织发布了《感染预防和控制评估框架》（IPCAF），使急性护理医疗机构能够评估IPC的结构和做法。关于在奥地利实施IPC的数据很少。为了提供对该主题的见解并在奥地利IPC社区内推广IPCAF，我们决定邀请参加德国医院感染监测系统的所有奥地利医院使用WHO IPCAF进行自我评估。IPCAF遵循IPC的WHO八个核心组成部分。IPCAF的德语译本已发送到127家奥地利急诊医院。调查期是从2018年10月到2018年12月。数据输入并转移到德国国家参考中心以监视与医疗保健相关的感染。共有65家奥地利医院提供了完整的数据集。所有医院的IPCAF总得分中位数为620（可能的最高得分为800），与IPC的较高水平相对应。在65家医院中，有38家达到了IPC高级水平。对不同核心组件进行更深入的分析得出不同的结果。在实施IPC干预，IPC教育和培训的多模式策略中，核心组件的得分最低。大约26％（n = 17）的医院报告说，当地IPC小组没有得到IPC委员会的稳定支持。在23％（n = 15）的医院中，IPC委员会中没有高级临床人员。只有26％（n = 17）的医院报告每≤250张病床雇用至少一名IPC专业人员。26％（n = 17）的医院未进行多药耐药病原体的监测。在奥地利，IPC关键方面的实施通常处于较高水平。但是，在人员配备，IPC教育和培训，有效实施多式联运战略以及专业团体参与方面，表现出了改进的潜力。我们的调查表明，IPCAF是IPC自我评估的有用工具，即使在像奥地利这样的高收入国家，也可以发现赤字。但是，在人员配备，IPC教育和培训，有效实施多式联运战略以及专业团体参与方面，表现出了改进的潜力。我们的调查表明，IPCAF是IPC自我评估的有用工具，即使在像奥地利这样的高收入国家，也可以发现赤字。但是，在人员配备，IPC教育和培训，有效实施多式联运战略以及专业团体参与方面，表现出了改善的潜力。我们的调查表明，IPCAF是IPC自我评估的有用工具，即使在像奥地利这样的高收入国家，也可以发现赤字。