Artificial Intelligence and Infection Control: Current Research

Artificial intelligence seems to be everywhere these days: Generating images that fill our social feeds and ads, answering our questions via chatbots, and creating content for almost every field. In today's post, we will look at some recent research that demonstrates how AI might help lessen the load on infection preventionists (IPs) by helping sift through data and make surveillance and reporting more efficient.

Did you know that artificial intelligence is already at work in the medical world? AI algorithms can help doctors diagnose diseases, interpret testing results including imaging, as well as to predict risk based on electronic health records. To put these possibilities to work for infection control and prevention, algorithms can be used to assist in surveillance of infection, identifying cases of Hospital Associated Infections (HAIs) for infection preventionists, thereby lessening their load and enabling them to spend more time on training, interventions, and patient-facing tasks. It could mean a transformation in the field that is already struggling with staffing and burnout.

Here are some major articles published on the topic just within the last few years.

1. Assisting the infection preventionist: Use of artificial intelligence for health care–associated infection surveillance | AJIC | Wiemken, et al. (2024)
   RESEARCH  AI agents used to identify CLABSI and CAUTI successfully and may show way to streamline surveillance
2. Artificial intelligence-based tools to control healthcare associated infections: A systematic review of the literature | Journal of Infection and Public Health | Scardoni, et al. (2020)
   LITERATURE REVIEW AI Review of 27 studies that compared machine learning to artificial intelligence on accuracy of identification of HAIs
3. Brave new world: Leveraging artificial intelligence for advancing healthcare epidemiology, infection prevention, and antimicrobial stewardship | ICHE | Marra, et al. (2023)
   COMMENTARY A survey of research using AI in a variety of infection control areas.

What do you think about the use of AI in infection control? Does your facility already employ assistive technology to help free up time for other tasks? Share your thoughts in the comments below!