BACKGROUND: The response efforts to the 2014 Ebola outbreak highlighted vulnerabilities in infection control practices within the United States healthcare system. CDC subsequently provided financial resources to state and local departments of health (DOH) to supplement and strengthen the existing Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity for Infectious Diseases (ELC) funded Healthcare Associated Infections (HAI) programs. In this context, CDC is also providing technical resources to accelerate capacity building around the ELC Healthcare Infection Control Assessment and Response (ICAR) project activities.
METHODS: The facility inventory and oversight mapping initiative within ICAR aims to assess and identify gaps in oversight activities and training/competency requirements for health care facilities and providers. The activity also allows and encourages states to explore, pilot and implement ways to expand oversight in facilities and training among healthcare providers in order to mitigate gaps that have been identified. A logic model is defined as a graphic representation of the description of a “sequence of events necessary for bringing about change by synthesizing the main program elements into a picture of how the program is supposed to work.” (CDC, 1999) We have applied a logic model approach to understand the role of improved healthcare facility and provider oversight in mitigating infection control gaps across the healthcare continuum using an inventory and oversight mapping initiative.
RESULTS: An evidence based logic model was built detailing available input resources such as regular and supplemental ELC funding, technical assistance from CDC, and existing partnerships with federal, regional, state, and local partners. Input resources also include available data sources maintained by Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, state survey agencies, the United States Census Bureau among others that are key repositories of facility and provider information. The model also provides a structure for grantees to outline planned activities, program outputs, and expected outcomes. In addition, reporting indicators associated with each outcome are also outlined to detail how these gaps will be measured by state and local DOHs undertaking the inventory and oversight mapping initiative.
CONCLUSIONS: This logic model is intended as a practical tool to aid in effectively summarizing the flow of program resources, activities, program outcomes, and the underlying mechanism to attain program goals. We aim to use this logic model as an instrumental guide for HAI program grantees in the implementation and evaluation of the ICAR inventory and oversight mapping initiative.