Development and pilot evaluation of a long-stay patient infection prevention and control risk stratification tool: A single-centre service evaluation
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Background: Long-stay inpatients accumulate modifiable healthcare-associated infection (HCAI) risks. Structured infection prevention and control (IPC) review processes specifically targeting these risks in long-stay inpatients are uncommon. Aim: To evaluate the feasibility of a structured long-stay patient IPC review tool designed to identify and reduce modifiable HCAI risk in adult inpatients with prolonged hospitalisation. Methods: This service evaluation was conducted across four adult inpatient wards in an acute NHS hospital in England between January and April 2026. Patients with a length of stay of at least 14 days underwent IPC review using an 11-item binary tool generating a total risk score (TRS; range of 0-11). Modifiable IPC risks were identified, and recommendations were communicated to ward teams, with patients re-reviewed according to risk level. Paired analysis compared initial and final follow-up TRS where repeat reviews were available. Results: Fifty-two patients were reviewed across 84 review episodes, comprising 52 initial and 32 follow-up reviews. Eighteen patients contributed to the paired analysis. Mean TRS decreased from 3.33 to 2.17 between initial and final review, indicating a reduction in modifiable IPC risk. Eleven patients (61.1%) improved, while six (33.3%) were unchanged. The proportion classified as low risk increased from 61.1 to 83.3% following IPC review and intervention. Discussion: This study demonstrated that a structured long-stay patient review framework could be integrated into routine IPC practice to identify and target modifiable IPC risk factors in prolonged hospital admissions. Significance and impact: The findings highlight the potential role of structured long-stay review processes within preventive and predictive IPC practice.
Source: Journal of Infection Prevention
Institution: Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust
Language: English
Subfield: Infectious Diseases
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7220847208