The organizational structure and human resources of the hospital infection prevention and control departments across healthcare institutions in Guangdong, China: a cross-sectional study

A well-structured and adequately staffed infection prevention and control (IPC) system is essential for ensuring high-quality healthcare delivery. However, the extent to which IPC departments in healthcare institutions adhere to established standards remains unclear, limiting the development of targeted improvement strategies. This study aimed to investigate the organizational structure and human resource allocation of IPC departments across healthcare institutions in Guangdong Province, China. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among healthcare institutions with inpatient beds in Guangdong Province in 2021. One designated respondent per institution completed the institutional questionnaire and, with consent from full-time dedicated IPC staff, provided their individual information. In total, 2,773 (94.7%) institutions completed the institutional questionnaire, and 6,478 records of dedicated IPC staff were obtained. Organizational structure and the full-time and part-time IPC allocation were described and compared across classes and regions of institutions. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with compliance in organizational structure and human resource allocation. The overall compliance rate for IPC organizational structure was 90.6%, with tertiary institutions showed significantly higher levels of departmental independence and functional autonomy (92.7%–99.3%) compared with other institutions (34.8%–86.8%, p < 0.0083). IPC staff had a mean age of 39 years and an average of 4 years of IPC experience; over 60% had a nursing background, and about 80% held an advanced diploma or baccalaureate degree with junior or intermediate professional titles. Only half of the institutions met national standards for dedicated IPC staffing, with a mean shortage of 0.94 personnel per institution. Regional disparities were evident, with organizational structure and human resource allocation in the Pearl River Delta region–the most economically developed and densely populated area of the province–outperforming those in less developed regions. Logistic regression analysis further indicated that larger bed capacity was associated with lower compliance in dedicated staffing, whereas departmental independence, and overall organizational compliance of IPC were significantly associated with higher compliance in both dedicated and part-time IPC staffing. IPC organizational structure in healthcare institutions across Guangdong Province generally met national standards. However, deficiencies were noted in the allocation of dedicated IPC personnel. Efforts should focus on improving departmental independence, workforce stability, educational qualifications, and multidisciplinary composition of IPC teams, particularly in lower-level institutions, and less developed regions.