Why Your Infection Prevention Strategy Feels Like a Battleground and How to Fix It

A message for healthcare executives and program leaders navigating infection prevention and control 

Too often, healthcare leaders are laser-focused on high-level metrics: staffing ratios, organizational reputation, and financial performance. Infection prevention and control (IPC) tends to sit outside those conversations until a crisis occurs. 

What's Happening on the Ground? 

The strategic potential of IPC is often underrecognized at the leadership level. As a result, IPC teams are often under-resourced, siloed, and tasked with operational duties without clear direction or support. Instead of being a positive force, it becomes a source of friction, a battleground.  

IPC professionals are expected to preserve patient safety without the authority or support that leads to systemic change. They’re brought in late with last-minute requests, often for large amounts of data, are asked to enforce compliance without sufficient resources or support and are excluded from strategic planning discussions.  

From what I’ve observed and heard repeatedly, these are the most common roadblocks: 

• IPC priorities aren’t clearly aligned with strategic goals. 

• IPC’s organizational value isn’t always clearly communicated or understood. 

• IPC teams lack the autonomy and visibility they need to lead change. 

The Data Speaks for Itself 

In a recent LinkedIn poll I conducted, 43% of IPC leaders reported that leadership decisions often interfere with IPC recommendations. That means nearly half of the respondents see leadership not as partners but as obstacles to patient safety and organizational success. 

The repercussions of this relationship disconnect can be significant: 

• Staff feel undervalued and overextended: staff moral and retention suffer 

• IPC loses its credibility and influence 

• Patient safety is compromised: infection risks and their associated costs increase  

• Organizational goals remain fragmented, making them more difficult to achieve. 

How Can Leaders End the Tug of War?  

It starts with recognizing that IPC is not an opponent but an ally. This is how this can be achieved: 

• Include IPC into strategic planning: Invite IPC leaders to the table during annual planning cycles. Their insights can help reduce risks, promote quality improvement, and operational efficiency. 

• Improve IPC understanding across the organization: Offer leadership training that includes IPC fundamentals. When leaders understand the “why,” they’re more likely to support the “how.” 

• Empower IPC teams with autonomy and resources: Shift from a task-based model to a programmatic one. Let IPC lead initiatives, not just education and audits. 

What Success Looks Like in Practice 

In previous work, I helped a large healthcare system reduce infection rates by 33% and save over $570K in 100 days, not by creating new tasks for the IPC team but by aligning IPC work with broader organizational goals. 

When we removed silos and re-engaged leadership: 

• Executive leaders saw the strategic value of their IPC program. 

• Nurse managers gained back 40+ hours per month to refocus on strategic priorities saving approximately $600,000 in salaries for the healthcare system. 

• Frontline staff felt more empowered and included and started taking initiatives IPC initiatives seriously and championing them for greater organizational success. 

• The organization earned Magnet recognition.  

When I work with organizations, I help them take a systems-level approach by engaging frontline teams, connecting infection prevention and control (IPC) to C-suite priorities, and promoting shared ownership across departments. That’s when things begin to shift; culture changes, results improve and instead of resistance, there’s more alignment and everyone works towards a common goal. I call this shift IP PROPEL™, a framework built on hands-on experience and structured for effective implementation. 

If your IPC strategy feels reactive or misaligned with your mission, there’s a better way forward. 

If you missed it, check out my last newsletter on leadership silos and how they cost more than we think: “Beware the ‘I Know It All’ Syndrome”: The Hidden Cost of Silos in Infection Prevention